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It comes as New Zealand supermarkets announced it would stop selling Australian strawberries.
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But the company said for added reassurance it elected to halt distribution of Australian strawberries.
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Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has mistakenly announced border wide screening for imported Australian strawberries.
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Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne says he understands why New Zealanders are baulking at Australian strawberries.
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Photo: 123RF New Zealand strawberry growers face a challenging situation with the tampering of Australian strawberries.
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Will you be buying Australian strawberries anytime soon?
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That announcement came hours after New Zealand supermarket chain Foodstuffs said it would stop selling Australian strawberries.
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Countdown said it had stopped ordering any further imports of Australian strawberries, while Foodstuffs had halted distribution.
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On Sunday, three needles were found in one punnet of Western Australian strawberries at an Auckland supermarket.
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Photo: 123rf.com The needles were found in Choice-brand Western Australian strawberries bought at the St Lukes Countdown in Auckland.
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There was also an isolated incident of needles being found in Australian strawberries in New Zealand at an Auckland supermarket.
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So there is a risk that consumers will assume that product tampering is happening to both New Zealand and Australian strawberries.
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He said Australian strawberries were still coming into the country, and he was unsure as to the origin of the needles.
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About a week ago Woolworths NZ, which is the parent company of Countdown, said it was halting the distribution of Australian strawberries.
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It's unclear whether the needles found in Australian strawberries were put in the fruit before or after being imported, Biosecurity Minister Damien O'Connor says.
