Penalty rise to tackle strawberry saga

The federal government has announced a number of criminal code changes to deter people from putting needles in strawberries.

FEDERAL ACTION TO DEAL WITH STRAWBERRY SAGA:

* Contamination offences penalty in commonwealth criminal code to be increased to 15 years in jail.

* Four new contamination offences to be created with 10 year maximum jail terms, with the level of proof being "recklessness" rather than "beyond reasonable doubt."

* Sabotage offences to be extended to include "goods intended for human consumption."

* Police are following up 100 leads, many of which are expected to be hoaxes or copycats.

* Australian Border Force has rolled out detection devices to help in the investigation.