A woman has been arrested after allegedly making a false complaint to police about finding a needle in a Timaru strawberry.
Police say the 28-year-old has been charged in relation to a report made on Monday.
The woman will appear in Timaru District Court on 29 January 2019.
Foodstuffs had pulled strawberries from Pak 'n Save Timaru after the incident. Company officials said they are relieved the matter has now been resolved.
"Malicious events like these have serious consequences for our customers, suppliers and stores," a Foodstuffs spokesperson says.
"The impact on our business is considerable; from the destruction of perfectly good produce, harm to our reputation and that of our suppliers, to the time wasted dealing with false claims."
It comes after a major scare across the Tasman, where a number of needles were found in strawberry punnets earlier this year.
Needles were also allegedly found in one punnet at an Auckland supermarket in September and another in South Canterbury in November, but police were unable to find where they came from.
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