澳大利亚“草莓藏针”引发恐慌 官方建议切碎再吃 Australia strawberry needle scare: Apple and banana fuel 'copycat' fears

近日，“草莓藏针”事件引起的恐慌在澳大利亚各州持续蔓延，甚至苹果和香蕉等其他水果也出现了类似事件。这对草莓种植销售业造成严重打击。官方已悬赏10万澳元寻找线索，并建议人们购买草莓后切碎再吃。

Australian police say sewing needles have been found hidden in an apple and a banana, amid a nationwide scare that has tormented the strawberry industry.

近日，澳大利亚“草莓藏针”事件引发全国恐慌，对该国草莓种植销售行业造成严重打击。澳大利亚警方表示，苹果和香蕉中也发现了藏针。

Since last week, Australians in every state have reported finding needles concealed in strawberry punnets.

自上周起，澳大利亚各州均报告发现草莓藏针现象。

Health Minister Greg Hunt has called it a "vicious crime" and ordered the nation's food watchdog to assist in resolving the scare.

澳大利亚卫生部长格雷格·亨特称之为“非常恶毒的犯罪行为”，已经命令澳大利亚食品监管机构协助调查此事。

澳警方怀疑此次水果连环污染事件可能是“恶意模仿”所致。

悉尼的卡米拉之前在该市西北部的沃尔沃斯超市购买了一份6个装苹果，本打算切块后给女儿吃。就在她削皮切块时，水果刀碰到硬物，取出后竟发现是一枚钢针。

Police said the apple and banana cases, both in Sydney, were "isolated".

警方称，苹果和香蕉藏针均发生在悉尼，是“孤立事件”。

But they added to more than 20 scares involving strawberries in New South Wales (NSW) alone, Supt Daniel Doherty said.

但丹尼尔·多尔蒂警司说，仅在新南威尔士州，就已经发生了20多起水果藏针事件。

The first cases emerged in Queensland. In that state, authorities say they are investigating whether the sabotage is due to one person, or several people operating independently.

第一起草莓藏针事件发生在昆士兰州。该州官员表示正在调查该行为是一人所为，还是多人各自作案。

In the most serious case, a man was taken to hospital last week after eating a strawberry that contained a needle.

最严重的一起事件中，一位男子在食用了藏针的草莓后被送往医院。

9月9日，网友约书亚·甘恩在脸书发消息称，当天他的朋友误吞了莓果迷（Berry Obsession）牌草莓中藏着的半根针，事后腹部剧痛送医。经检查，他们还在同一盒草莓中发现另一颗草莓也被插针。

Police have stepped up warnings about copycat incidents, saying perpetrators - and those who make false reports - face up to 10 years in jail.

警方已经加强了对类似事件的预警，称犯罪者以及报假案者将面临最高10年监禁。

The scare has spread to Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia.

维多利亚州、澳大利亚首都地区、南澳大利亚州、塔斯马尼亚州和西澳大利亚州也先后发现类似事件。

Several strawberry brands have been withdrawn, while New Zealand's biggest grocers have stopped selling Australian strawberries as a precaution.

多个草莓品牌已经召回产品。为预防危险事件发生，新西兰几家最大的食品商已停止销售澳大利亚草莓。

Health officials have advised Australians to cut up strawberries before eating them.

卫生部门官员建议人们在食用草莓前先切碎。

"This is a very vicious crime and it's a general attack on the public," Mr Hunt said at the weekend.

卫生部长亨特在上周末说：“这是一种非常恶毒的犯罪行为，是对公众的普遍攻击。”

草莓藏针事件愈演愈烈，甚至发展到了在苹果中藏钉子。

It is not just needles which have been found embedded in Australian fruit - a nail has now been discovered implanted inside an apple.

澳大利亚的水果中藏的不仅有针，顾客甚至还在一个苹果中发现了钉子。

A South Australian mother was horrified when she uncovered the rusty nail as she prepared lunch for her son.

南澳州一位母亲在为儿子准备午餐时，在苹果中发现了一枚生锈的钉子，惊得目瞪口呆。

A Woolworths spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'We're aware of the customer report. The details have been referred to the authorities leading the response to this matter and we'll consult with them on next steps'.

沃尔沃斯的一位发言人告诉每日邮报澳洲版说：“我们已经了解了顾客报告的事件。细节已经汇报给负责这次水果事件的有关部门。我们将与其商讨接下来要采取的措施。”

The South Australian produce market has announced it will install X-ray machines to scan fruit for metal objects before they are distributed to market.

这家南澳产品市场宣布将安装X光机，在水果上市销售前进行金属探测扫描。

此前，业内人士曾怀疑“藏针者”是个别心怀不满的前果品行业雇员，警方不太认同这种看法，因为“草莓藏针”的情况发生在几个不同品牌的产品中，报私仇的可能性较小。目前，警方不排除“团伙作案”的可能，同时怀疑有居心不良者在“草莓藏针”事件爆发后进行了恶意模仿。

Queensland police say complicated supply chains in the strawberry industry have made for a slow investigation.

昆州警方表示，草莓业供应链复杂，因此调查进展缓慢。

Two states have offered A$100,000 rewards for information.

已有两个州表示悬赏10万澳元（约合49.5万元人民币）征集线索。

In Western Australia, Premier Mark McGowan said the people who tampered with fruit were "evil" and risked others' lives.

西澳洲州长马克·迈克高恩说，在水果中藏针的人是“恶魔”，危及他人的生命。

The prevailing explanation is a disgruntled employee in a packing centre, which is where police believe the needles were introduced.

目前普遍流传的说法是，此事为包装中心一位心生不满的工人所为，警方认为针就是在包装中心被插进去的。

Many of the following cases could be the work of copycats.

而随后的事件可能都属于模仿。

接二连三的“水果藏针”事件被业内人士比作“商业恐怖主义”，造成民众恐慌，更导致果品行业损失惨重。一时间，澳大利亚人谈“果”色变。就连新西兰的一些超市都因此停购澳大利亚草莓。

Strawberry prices have already dropped around the country, with prices in Western Australia now below the cost of production, local media reported.

目前，全澳草莓价格都已下跌，据当地媒体报道，西澳洲草莓价格已经跌穿成本价。

The scare - which comes during the peak of production - has affected thousands of workers in an industry worth about A$130m a year, the federal government said.

联邦政府表示，在草莓生产高峰期出现这种恐慌，已经影响到了数千名工人，澳洲草莓业每年产值高达1.3亿澳元。

Queensland has announced a A$1m assistance package for farmers in the state.

昆州已宣布为该州的草莓种植者提供100万澳元的补助。

One manager of berry farms, Gavin Scurr, asked the public to continue buying strawberries.

浆果农场的一名管理者加文·斯克呼吁公众继续购买草莓。

南澳大利亚州的一名果品商表示，由于“危险水果”重创消费者信心，目前市面上“还卖得动”的草莓产品仅为总量的10%左右。

"There's a handful of cases in 100 million punnets but it's really brought our industry to its knees," Mr Scurr, from Piñata Farms, told radio station 3AW.

皮纳塔种植农场的斯克先生告诉3AW电台说：“在1亿个草莓果篮中出现了几个藏针，但这足以把整个行业打垮。”

Strawberry producers had begun ordering metal detectors as a safety precaution, said Strawberry Growers Association of Western Australia president Neil Handasyde.

西澳洲草莓种植者协会主席尼尔·汉德赛德说，草莓种植者纷纷订购金属探测器，进行安全防范。

来源：BBC、每日邮报

翻译&编辑：yaning