A needle has been found in a strawberry bought from a Tauranga supermarket.

Foodstuffs NZ spokeswoman Antoinette Laird says the company was aware of an issue with a pin or needle being found in a punnet of strawberries bought at one of its Pak'nSave Tauranga stores.

"The remaining product has since been removed from the store's shelves.

"Customer safety is our number one priority and we encourage all customers to contact stores directly should they ever encounter a tampering issue with a product.

"We are liasing with the authorities directly regarding this and as such we are unable to comment further."

Police confirmed they had received a report on Thursday of a needle in a strawberry, Stuff reports.

The matter has been referred to MPI.

This is the second reported incident in Tauranga, with a needle found in a piece of capsicum in November.

The capsicum was bought from Countdown and used in a stirfry the following day.

Police are investigating both incidents.