A former Maple Leaf Foods employee has been arrested in connection with an investigation into a series of meat packages found with sewing needles inside them in a Guelph, Ont., supermarket.
Maple Leaf Foods released a statement Friday saying that the accused is a former employee of the food manufacturer.
It said the 41-year-old woman had worked at a company plant in Guelph for seven years, but was terminated from her position earlier this month.
The company also said it was pleased that authorities had made an arrest in the food tampering case.
Store management at a No Frills supermarket in Guelph contacted police last week after a customer brought a package back that had been tampered with.
The subsequent investigation found 13 sewing needles that had been inserted into 12 different Schneider's meat product packages sold at the No Frills supermarket located at 191 Silvercreek Parkway in Guelph.
The store immediately pulled Schneider's products from its shelves and police investigated the matter with the help of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Sgt. Doug Pflug told ctvtoronto.ca that all of the affected products had been yanked from store shelves within a 25-kilometre radius of the No Frills during the investigation.
No injuries were reported as a result of the tampering.
Late Thursday, Guelph police announced they had made an arrest in connection with the case.
Mastoora Qezil, 41, of Guelph, was arrested and charged with one count of common nuisance. She is scheduled to appear in bail court on Friday.
The charge the accused is facing carries a maximum sentence of two years in jail.
Anyone with information for investigators is asked to contact Const. Kevin King at 519-824-1212, ext. 222, or to call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-222-8477.
With files from The Canadian Press
