Police are warning Ottawa residents to be careful handling food after the discovery of a needle in potatoes bought at a local grocery store.
The discovery follows several reports of needles found in table potatoes in Atlantic Canada, all traced to one Prince Edward Island producer, but police say the Ottawa case appears not to be related to those reports.
The “small, sharp needle resembling a sewing needle” was found by a resident peeling potatoes, police said. The potatoes came from an unnamed grocery story in south or east Ottawa.
Police said they were unable to provide further details on the store or brand of potatoes because of their continuing investigation. As well, a spokesman noted, food products are often sold under numerous labels, so disclosing the brand could give consumers a false sense that food packaged under another label is safe.
Ottawa police said they were co-ordinating their investigation with RCMP and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
At least seven needles have been found in potatoes in Atlantic Canada. On Oct. 7, the food agency said Linkletter Farms Ltd. of Summerside, PEI, had agreed to recall potatoes it had harvested and packed under several brands including Link and Market Town.
At the time, however, the agency said the potatoes had been sold only in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
