Austrian police reported the discovery of rat poison inside a jar of Hipp baby food that led to a recall from 1,500 Spar supermarkets in the country due to safety concerns. The police in Burgenland mentioned that a customer in the Eisenstadt-Umgebung district found rat poison in a sample of the 190-gram carrot with potato baby food jar.
Hipp acknowledged the potential introduction of a harmful substance into their product, expressing concerns that the Hipp Vegetable Carrot with Potato jars might have been tampered with, posing a life-threatening risk if consumed. The affected jars were identified by a red circle sticker on the bottom, an already opened or damaged lid, missing safety seals, or unusual odors.
Initial tests on similar jars seized in Czechia and Slovakia revealed the presence of a toxic substance, as per police reports. Hipp later confirmed that the jars did indeed contain rat poison and promptly removed all affected baby food jars from retail partners in both countries as a precautionary measure.
Authorities in Austria were alerted to the risk following investigations in Germany, although specific details were not disclosed. Hipp clarified that products and distribution channels outside the ongoing investigations in Germany and other European countries remained unaffected, attributing the issue to external criminal interference within the Spar Austria distribution channel.
Spar Austria responded by removing Hipp products from all countries under its operation, including Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Northern Italy. Customers were advised to refrain from consuming the recalled jars purchased from Spar Austria and assured of full refunds upon return. Additionally, police recommended thorough handwashing for anyone handling the contaminated baby food jars and urged immediate medical attention if infants had ingested the tainted product.