New Potato Tampering Incident in Halifax linked to Prince Edward Island Potatoes

Earlier today, the Halifax Regional Police announced they received a report of a needle being found in potatoes at a home in Halifax, NS Canada.

The Halifax Police Statement:

“At 8:15 p.m. , last night Halifax Regional Police received a report of a needle being found in potatoes at a home in Halifax. The potatoes had been peeled and cooked, nothing was noticed at this time, but a needle was observed in the leftover cooked potatoes.”

“The bag of potatoes had been bought at the Giant Tiger on Dutch Village Rd on Nov 6th and they were from PEI.”

“No one was injured.”

According to CBC News, Alison Scarlett, a spokeswoman for Giant Tiger, said all bagged potatoes have been pulled from the store's shelves. She said police have not told them the brand.

Alison Scarlett, a spokeswoman for Giant Tiger in an email:

"Giant Tiger Stores Limited has reached out to the Halifax police department to get more information on the matter and is currently working directly with our potato vendors."

She said people who bought bagged potatoes at the store can return them for a refund.

This case brings to mind the series of reports on potato tampering in Atlantic Canada starting in the fall of 2014.

These previous incidents have never been resolved, despite the fact that a significant reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible.

In 2015, the Prince Edward Island government announced it and the federal government would invest $2 million to assist the P.E.I. potato industry in its efforts to prevent tampered potatoes from making it to market.