No foul play suspected in reports of tainted Halloween candy, RCMP says

Police in St. John's have received a second report of a sharp object found inside a package of Halloween candy.

While the RCMP doesn't suspect foul play, it says it's a great reminder to be safe and double-check your treats this Halloween.

"Now where we have a product that seems to be related, you know, to two of the same manufacturer, certainly close attention to that product is warranted," RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland said Wednesday.

Police received their first report of tainted candy on Saturday, when Sarah Garland of Spainard's Bay found what appeared to be a needle inside a package of Twizzlers licorice. She told CBC News earlier this week that she had received the candy from a trunk or treat event, but it didn't appear that the candy was previously tampered with.

On Tuesday, staff at the the Trinity Conception Family Resource Centre were going through the candy they had placed in 500 prepared loot bags after realizing they had bought the same candy from Hershey's at Walmart in Carbonear.

"In removing those candy, one of our staff actually found an object again, which appears to be a needle, in one of the Jolly Rancher candy," Lisa Evely, the centre's program coordinator, said Wednesday. 

"It was scary.… If it wasn't for the incident prior to last weekend, we would have not even taken them out. We would have had no reason to."

Evely has since been in contact with Hershey Canada, who she said have been very thorough in gathering information. The candy will be returned for the company's own investigation, she said, but no indication has been given as to what could have caused metal fragments to be found in multiple candy packages.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Garland said both pieces of candy came from sealed packages and there's no indication that the candy was tampered with locally.

"Evidence gathered as part of the investigation leads us to believe that there may have been something in the manufacturing processing of the product, and they certainly weren't intentionally altered locally here," she said.

In an emailed statement to CBC News on Wednesday, Hershey Company senior communications manager Todd Scott said products go through a strict quality and safety program — which includes metal detectors — to ensure products leave the facility "in the quality and conditions consumers expect."

"Once our products leave our facility, we unfortunately do not have control over how they are handled. We know the recent news is worrisome and just like every Halloween, we encourage parents to help their children sort and check treats at home to ensure no products have been tampered with," Scott wrote.

Garland stressed the importance of checking children's Halloween candy each year. She said any packages that appear flat, ripped or previously opened should be avoided, and that anything suspicious should be reported to police.

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