LOWER MACUNGIE TWP. — Two more products have been added to the list of foods possibly affected by a case of food tampering at the Giant in Trexlertown.
An employee at the Giant supermarket at 7150 Hamilton Boulevard put sewing needles into grocery items that were found after being purchased and returned by customers, according to state police at Fogelsville.
- Sewing needles were found in food items at the 7150 Hamilton Boulevard Giant supermarket in Lower Macungie Township
- Those who purchased food at the store between Thursday, April 13, 2023, and Wednesday, April 19, 2023, are advised to check items for any tampering
- Police say a juvenile suspect has been identified and charges are forthcoming
Added were King Hawaiian Bread Rolls and the StarKist Light Tuna Large pouch (pouches larger than 2.6 ounces). State police issued a warning about the additional items Friday night.
State police say the investigation began when shoppers found bagged vegetables and individual Tastykake packaging to contain the sewing needles.
Police say a juvenile suspect has been identified and charges are forthcoming.
Customers who purchased food at the store between Thursday, April 13, and Wednesday, April 19, are advised by state troopers to check your purchased grocery items for any tampering.
The manager of the Hamilton Boulevard Giant location declined an interview — instead referring questions to a company spokesperson, Ashley Flower.
In an email to LehighValleyNews.com, Flower sent a statement which reads, in part: “Based on an internal investigation and surveillance video, an employee – now former employee – appeared to insert a sewing needle into at least three known food items, which were found to have sewing needles."
Giant's statement also says it was an isolated incident, with no other locations affected.
Flowers went on to list categories of items that might have been affected, with the tampering allegedly occurring after 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 15:
- Single serve Tastykakes
- Fresh bagged green beans
- Loose sweet yellow and white onions
- Fresh green asparagus
- Soft packaged dog food and treats
- Soft packaged cat food and treats
- Instant mashed potatoes (boxed) and cleaning sponges.
The company says anybody who purchased those items from the Hamilton Boulevard location, or otherwise suspects tampering, can return the items for a full refund.
The store is notifying customers who used a Giant rewards card if an item they purchased was possibly affected, state police said.
On Thursday, shoppers came and went as usual at the busy location.
"Well, I'm gonna continue to shop here because that sounds like an outlier to me," shopper Karen Hamm said outside the store. "And, hopefully they got rid of the employee and some actions taken against them. But I can't change my whole life because of one incident like that.
"I'm surprised I didn't hear about it. You know, I read the paper. online news all the time, and I'm surprised to hear about it," she said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pennsylvania State Police Fogelsville Criminal Investigation Unit at 610-395–1438.
