By james art 
St. John’s police received a second report of a sharp object found in a package of Halloween candy.
While RCMP don’t suspect foul play, they say it’s a great reminder to be safe and double-check your treats this Halloween.
“Now that we have a product that appears to be linked, you know, to two from the same manufacturer, there certainly needs to be a lot of attention paid to that product,” said RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland said Wednesday.
Police received their first report of tainted candy on Saturday when Sara Garland of Spaniards Bay found what appeared to be a needle in a package of licorice Twizzlers. She told CBC News earlier this week that she got the candy from a bag or treat event, but it doesn’t appear the candy was tampered with beforehand.
On Tuesday, Trinity Conception Family Resource Center staff were reviewing the candy they had placed in 500 prepared loot bags after realizing they had bought the same candy from Hershey’s at the Walmart in Carbonear.
“In removing these candies, one of our employees actually found what appeared to be a needle again in one of the Jolly Rancher candies,” Lisa Iveley, the center’s program coordinator, said Wednesday.
“It was scary … If it wasn’t for the accident before last weekend, we wouldn’t have even taken them out. We would have no reason to do that.”
The two incidents involving what appeared to be sewing needles in licorice and Jolly Rancher gum were not placed there on purpose, said RCMP Capt. Jolene Garland on Wednesday. Police believe there is another way the sharp objects ended up in the candy.
Evely has since been in contact with Hershey Canada, who she says have been very thorough in gathering information. The candies will be returned for the company’s own investigation, she said, but no indication has been given of what may have caused metal fragments to be found in multiple candy packages.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Garland said both candies came from sealed packages and there was no indication the candies were tampered with on site.
“Evidence collected as part of the investigation leads us to believe that there may have been something in the manufacturing handling of the product and it was certainly not deliberately altered locally,” she said.
In a statement emailed to CBC News on Wednesday, Hershey Company senior communications manager Todd Scott said the products go through a rigorous quality and safety program — which includes metal detectors — to ensure products leave the facility ” with the quality and conditions that consumers expect”.
“Once our products leave our facility, we unfortunately have no control over how they are handled. We know the recent news is troubling, and just like every Halloween, we encourage parents to help their children sort and check treats at home to make sure no products have been tampered with,” Scott wrote.
Garland emphasized the importance of checking children’s Halloween candy each year. She said any packages that look flat, torn or already opened should be avoided and that anything suspicious should be reported to the police.
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