SmartHomeOwners

CALGARY: Calgary police say they are investigating two more cases of food tampering at grocery stores and will vigorously pursue the ``idiots'' responsible for putting people at risk.

The new cases announced Friday bring the total number of food tampering incidents in the city under investigation to 11 in nine different stores.

``We have a mother who purchases a number of produce items, prepares a blended drink for her and her 22-month-old, and while consuming discovers metal fragments in the drink, and she grabs the drink from her 22-month-old,'' Police Chief Rick Hanson said with disgust at a news conference.

``You gotta be really sick to think that that is a fun thing to put a 22-month-old kid at risk. For what?''

Last month a Calgary Co-op customer was charged with mischief after pins and sewing needles were found in bread and other products.

So far no one has been injured, though in one instance, a customer found a metal item inside an avocado and two other customers found pieces of metal inside kaiser buns.

Hanson said police believe they are dealing with copy cats and will change tactics in an attempt to take the media spotlight away from the tamperings.

``A few idiots are causing so much anxiety, putting so many people potentially at risk,'' Hanson said.

``To those who are thinking that this is a lot of fun to do. It ain't as much fun when you are looking through the gilded bars of a federal penitentiary and thinking 'I was kind of stupid.'''

Grocery outlets say they have hired more security and employees have been told to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

The Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors is offering a $10,000 reward to help catch whoever is tampering with food.