Dozens of cases of Halloween candy tampering country-wide (live, manufacturing)

[ajl22586]

A rather high number of cases of this sort of thing have been reported this year, especially in Ontario and Nova Scotia:

Pins found in Halloween candy in Sydney Mines and Halifax - Nova Scotia - CBC News
Child bites into Snickers bar, finds sewing needle - Ottawa - CBC News
Needle found in Halloween candy bar in Cornwall | Ottawa Citizen

Maybe I wasn't paying attention previously, but there seems to be more cases than in previous years (not limited to the above stories).

What does everyone make of this? Parents looking for some media exposure? Bogus claims? Or is this evidence of the existence of monsters who want to hurt children that live among us?

[Ken S.]

Without reading the articles, could the tampering have come during the manufacturing process?

Unfortunately, this is nothing new - when I was a kid in the 1980s I remember at least one year where this kind of thing was a concern. In particular homemade and fruits. I know I got an apple once and later my friend's mom diced it into fine pieces and still I had no desire to eat it, so it was tossed. I never had a problem with Halloween candy, and as far as I know there was never an issue locally.