Rat poison found in HiPP baby food jar in Austria, police say

Retailers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia preemptively removed all HiPP baby food jars from sale in response to the incident.

Customers were asked not to consume HiPP jars purchased at Eurospar, Interspar and Maximarkt and to return them for a refund.

Austrian authorities advised consumers to look for damaged or open lids, a missing safety seal, an unusual or spoiled odour, or a white sticker with a red circle on the bottom of the glass jar.

Spar reported it had removed the HiPP baby food range from its stores in other countries as a precautionary measure while the investigation continued.

Authorities noted isolated cases of tampered HiPP jars seized in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and a warning about tampered jars had been issued following reports from German investigators. It was not yet confirmed whether these cases involved extortion.

HiPP announced the recall of its entire range of jarred purées sold in Spar supermarkets in Austria, stating that consuming them may be potentially life-threatening. The company said the recall was related to a criminal act investigated by authorities and that the recall was not due to a product or quality defect on its part. Jars had left the factory in perfect condition, and isolated tampered jars had already been seized.

Police in Austria's Burgenland region said a poisoned jar of HiPP carrot and potato purée had been reported by a customer, and that their baby had not consumed the food. The jar appeared tampered with, and authorities said at least one more poisoned jar could be in circulation. They issued guidance on how to recognise tampered jars and noted the possibility of an extortion attempt had not been confirmed. They also cited warnings from German investigators and said tampered jars had been seized in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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