Police in Austria have urged people to be vigilant after a sample of HiPP baby food was found to contain rat poison. The authorities in the eastern region of Burgenland said the poisoned jar of carrot and potato purée had been reported by a customer, and that their baby had fortunately not consumed the food.
According to officials, the jar had apparently been tampered with, and authorities believe at least one more poisoned jar is in circulation. They have also issued guidance on how to recognise tampered jars. They have not confirmed whether the cases involve an alleged extortion attempt. However, the police statement said the warning had come from German investigators, and tampered jars had also been seized in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
On Saturday, HiPP recalled its entire range of jarred purées sold in SPAR supermarkets in Austria, saying consuming them may be potentially “life-threatening”.
The German-based company said the recall of baby food jars was “not due to a product or quality defect on our part” and that jars had left its factory in “perfect condition”.
“The recall is related to a criminal act that is being investigated by the authorities,” it said on its website. “As part of ongoing criminal investigations, isolated cases of tampered HiPP baby food jars have been seized – as previously reported in Austria, now also in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
“The responsible authorities determined upon examination of these jars that they contained rat poison.”
SPAR has also removed the brand’s baby food from its stores in other countries as a precautionary measure.
Austrian authorities have told consumers to look out 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.
The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety warned parents whose babies had consumed the brand’s food to consult a doctor if their children showed signs of bleeding, extreme weakness or paleness. Customers have also been asked not to consume HiPP jars purchased at Eurospar, Interspar and Maximarkt, and to return them for a refund. There are more than 1,500 SPAR shops across Austria.
Police previously stressed that baby food sold in other shops remained unaffected by the recall. HiPP’s baby formula was also unaffected.
Retailers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have also preemptively removed all HiPP baby food jars from sale.
