KEY POINTS:
Here's a novel take on the proverbial needle in a haystack. A supermarket chain is searching high and low for a rogue worker suspected of sabotage after the discovery of a 40mm sewing needle in a pre-packed piece of chicken.
Bryce Wilson, 41, of Tauranga, bit into his $3.20 piece of in-house brand chicken from Countdown last week when he felt a big crunch he thought was a bone. But what he pulled out of his mouth was a 40mm needle that had been embedded into the thigh.
"I was absolutely horrified. If it had gone down my throat I wouldn't be here talking to you," said Wilson.
Progressive Enterprises, which owns Countdown, has launched an inquiry and called in police to investigate. Progressive spokesman Mark Bell said the company believed the incident was no accident.
"We are talking about a sewing needle. There's no way that's part of the normal packing process."
Bell said investigations showed the packaging was relatively intact, meaning the needle was inserted before or during packing at a South Auckland plant.