Potatoes were recalled in October 2014 after Bruce Budgell of Newfound and Labrador found a needle in one he was peeling.

Potatoes were recalled in October 2014 after Bruce Budgell of Newfound and Labrador found a needle in one he was peeling.
Photo Credit: Bruce Budgell

Province hikes reward for info on potato tampering

Someone is slipping needles or other metal objects into potatoes grown and sold in Canada’s eastern provinces, and the potato industry of  Prince Edward Island has upped the reward to find out who it is. The industry is offering half a million dollars for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. That’s an increase from the previous reward of $100,000.

Potatoes are big business in the province of P.E.I., estimated to be worth over a billion dollars annually to the economy. Police have been investigating several tampering cases with the support of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency which notes the cases have had a financial impact on the industry.

The Canadian government announced it will spend $1.5 million to set up metal detection equipment and the P.E.I. government is spending a half-million dollars on security training and assessments.

P.E.I.’s potato industry is iconic and was celebrated in a song by Canadian legend Stompin’ Tom Connors called Bud the Spud, spud being slang for potato.

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