By james art 
Police in eastern Newfoundland are asking parents to recheck their children’s Halloween candy after a needle was found in a piece of licorice.
The candy was received at a trunk or treat event hosted by Mishifts Car Group at the A&W Restaurant in Bay Roberts on Saturday, RCMP said.
Sarah Garland, from Spanaard’s Bay, reported the incident after finding the sewing needle in her seven-year-old daughter’s licorice Twizzlers.
“When she took the first string off, that’s when I noticed there was something shiny. So I automatically took it from her and then I realized it was a sewing needle in her candy,” Garland told CBC Radio on Monday.
“She opened the package with her teeth. So I think that if this had to go through her tongue or her palate, or even if she had swallowed it, it would have been [a] a completely different ending.”
Upon further inspection, Garland said the candy wrapper did not appear to have been tampered with.
Trunk or treat events have become popular alternatives to door-to-door Halloween events in rural areas where houses can be far apart.
Police said anyone attending the event should check out the candy handed out. RCMP were not available for an interview Monday, but said they were working to obtain more information.
The police alert is the second for tainted candy in just a few days in the Conception Bay North area.
On Oct. 23, the nearby town of North River issued a similar warning and advised families to dispose of any goodies received from the town’s treat box and the previous Sunday.
A parent reported their child became very ill after consuming factory-packaged candy, although foul play is not believed to be involved.
With Halloween coming up on Thursday, RCMP are reminding parents to check all candy collected before consumption.
“I can’t stress enough to parents to check their kids’ candy over and over and over again,” Garland said.
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