Eisenstadt, Austria. Police in Austria said rat poison was found in a jar of HiPP baby food after the product was recalled from 1,500 SPAR supermarkets over safety fears.
Poison found in customer-reported jar
Police in Burgenland said a sample from one of the 190-gram jars of “Carrots and Potatoes” baby food reported by a customer in the Eisenstadt-Umgebung district tested positive for rat poison.
HiPP warning and recall details
HiPP said on Saturday it could not be ruled out that a dangerous substance was introduced into the product and that its HiPP Vegetable Carrot with Potato jars may have been tampered with. The company said consuming the contents of jars could be life-threatening.
Identification of affected jars
Police said affected jars had a sticker with a red circle on the bottom and a lid that had already been opened or was damaged or missing a safety seal, or had an unusual smell.
Findings in Czech Republic and Slovakia
Police said initial lab tests on similar jars seized by police in the Czech Republic and Slovakia showed the presence of a toxic substance, without providing further details. HiPP told Reuters on Sunday that the jars did contain rat poison and said affected retail partners in both countries immediately removed all HiPP baby food jars from sale as a precautionary measure.
Links to Germany investigation and scope of impact
Police said authorities in Austria were warned about the risk following investigations in Germany, without further details. HiPP said products and distribution channels in Germany or other European countries not part of the investigations are not affected.
Company statement on suspected interference
HiPP said the situation involved what it described as external criminal interference affecting the SPAR Austria distribution channel.
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