Police in Austria's Burgenland region have issued a rather urgent warning after a jar of HiPP carrot and potato purée was found to contain rat poison. The jar was reported by a customer whose baby, fortunately, did not consume the tainted meal. Authorities confirmed the jar had been tampered with and believe at least one other poisoned jar is in circulation, prompting them to issue guidance on how to spot a compromised product. They have not confirmed if this is part of an extortion attempt, but the warning originated from German investigators, with tampered jars also seized in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In response, HiPP recalled its entire range of jarred purées sold in Spar supermarkets across Austria on Saturday, stating consumption could be 'life-threatening.' The German-based company was quick to clarify that this recall was 'not due to a product or quality defect on our part,' asserting the jars left its factory in 'perfect condition.' Instead, HiPP attributed the situation to 'a criminal act that is being investigated by the authorities.' The company noted that isolated cases of tampered jars had been seized in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, with authorities determining the contents included rat poison.
Spar has removed the brand's baby food from its stores in other countries as a precaution, and Austrian authorities have provided a helpful checklist for consumers. Parents are advised to look for damaged or open lids, missing safety seals, unusual odours, or a white sticker with a red circle on the jar's bottom. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety warned parents to consult a doctor if their children show signs of bleeding, extreme weakness, or paleness after consuming the food. Customers are asked not to consume HiPP jars purchased at Eurospar, Interspar, and Maximarkt and to return them for a refund, affecting over 1,500 Spar shops in Austria.
Police stressed that baby food sold in other shops remains unaffected, and retailers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have also preemptively removed all HiPP baby food jars from sale. This unsettling incident follows just a few months after two other major baby brands faced their own contamination crises. In January and February, Nestle and Danone issued recalls of their infant formula in more than 60 countries, including the UK, after babies fell ill from specific batches contaminated with the toxin cereulide. The UK's Health and Security Agency reported at least 36 infants in Britain suffered non-life-threatening food poisoning from the contaminated formula, a toxin not destroyed by cooking or milk preparation.