The moron – or, even more frighteningly, morons if indeed we have now copycat incidents – who inserted needles into strawberries must be stopped.

When the scandal first broke, no doubt all were concerned by what had happened but perhaps relieved that it had been restricted to a few Queensland-sourced brands that were promptly removed from shelves.

But now that it has spread to other brands, that concern has spread to the Border with a Lavington woman’s revelation that her daughter discovered a needle while cutting-up strawberries.

Lisa Church had bought a brand other than those initially caught-up in the scandal so had no real need to be overly concerned when her eight-year-old, Sophie, began preparing strawberries on Sunday night.

Bought from Lavington Coles, the Oasis-brand strawberries had been in the fridge for a couple of days.

They were certainly entitled to feel shocked at what they found.

As Mrs Church said: “We'd read about it, but here it is right in front of you. To think they could have eaten it is horrible.”

This is indeed a shocking crime, even if no one has suffered the misfortune so far to unwittingly swallow a needle.

Food contamination, NSW police have pointed out – on revealing 20 such cases across the state so far – carries hefty penalties of up to 10 years in jail.

Given that’s the maximum penalty, it is likely the courts would impose a likely much lower sentence.

But with the nature and reach of what has taken place, you would only hope the perpetrators would be dealt with more severely.

Meanwhile, producers are dealing with the catastrophe of having to dump their crops, putting their future at considerable risk.

And that’s all for something that should never have happened.

In a country that prides itself on its stringent food security, this is a terrible situation that requires a prompt resolution by authorities.