Police and Air Canada are investigating after a passenger on a domestic flight found a needle in a catered sandwich, the airline said Wednesday.

"A passenger indicated that he found what appeared to be a sewing needle in a sandwich prepared in advance for the flight," airline spokesman John Reber told AFP.

The July 30 flight from Victoria, British Columbia was headed to Toronto.

It follows a similar incident a few weeks ago when half a dozen needles ended up in turkey sandwiches on four Delta Air Lines flights from Amsterdam to the United States.

Both Dutch police and the American FBI launched probes after six needles were discovered in six different sandwiches on four separate U.S.-bound flights departing from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

Delta Air Lines and the sandwich maker at Schiphol airport, Gate Gourmet, said they were working with the authorities to probe the scandal, which caused no serious injuries but sparked alarm amongst airline travelers.

Reber said Air Canada was treating the latest incident "very seriously" and was cooperating with a police investigation.

"As soon as we were informed, we immediately contacted the caterers that supply our flights and a full investigation is under way. We're also working closely with our caterers to ensure that heightened security has been put in place," he said.