Austrian police issued the announcement after the product recall at over 1,000 SPAR supermarket stores across Austria. Authorities suspect malicious tampering targeting products sold at SPAR, the country's largest supermarket chain, The Guardian reported on 19/4.
Burgenland state police reported that tests on a 190-gram carrot and potato baby food jar, submitted by a customer, yielded positive results for rat poison. Investigators stated that tampered products are identifiable by a white sticker with a red circle on the jar's bottom. Additionally, the jar lids show signs of being pried open, damaged, or having a broken safety seal, and the food inside emits an unusual odor.
The incident came to light after a customer reported a jar showing signs of unauthorized opening, AP reported. No injuries were reported as the implicated food jar remained unused.
In a press release on 18/4, HiPP, the German-Swiss baby food manufacturer, did not rule out the possibility of "external interference" introducing poison after the product left its factory. HiPP warned that consuming the contaminated food could directly endanger a child's life.
The company announced an emergency precautionary recall of its entire line of jarred baby food sold across the SPAR network in Austria, including SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR, and Maximarkt stores. Customers can return products for a full refund, even without a receipt.
The incident appears to be spreading, with police reporting that initial tests on similar recalled products in the Czech Republic and Slovakia also detected the presence of poison.
Austrian authorities were alerted to this risk following a similar investigation in Germany. Specific details remain confidential to aid the ongoing inquiry.
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Rat poison was detected in a sample of a 190-gram carrot and potato baby food jar. *Tobias Steinmaurer/APA/dpa* |
A HiPP spokesperson emphasized, "This serious situation involves an act of external criminal interference targeting the SPAR distribution channel in Austria." The company also affirmed that its production and quality assurance processes meet all standards.
Reuters reported that a SPAR supermarket chain representative stated the comprehensive recall at 1,500 stores across Austria is an emergency precautionary measure. Customers who purchased HiPP products from SPAR are strongly advised not to use them and to return them for a 100% refund.
Police advised individuals to wash their hands thoroughly with soap if they accidentally come into contact with suspicious food jars. Authorities have not found additional tampered products among goods removed from shelves, but they do not rule out the possibility that customers purchased many jars before the recall.
Parents should return any unused products to the supermarket and contact police if they detect suspicious signs, to assist with evidence collection.
The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) stated that the active ingredient in rat poison can cause blood clotting disorders. Potential symptoms include: bleeding gums, nosebleeds, skin bruising, or blood in stool. Parents who observe these symptoms in children after consuming HiPP food should seek immediate medical attention.
Officials in Germany, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic are also investigating the incident. HiPP, a brand with over 120 years of history, originated in Pfaffenhofen, Bavaria, Germany. The headquarters of HiPP Holding AG is now in Sachseln, Obwalden canton, Switzerland.
HiPP baby food is popular in Vietnam. As of now, the Ministry of Health has not taken any action regarding the HiPP incident in Europe.
The HiPP incident follows recent disruptions in the baby food market earlier this year. In January and February, Nestle and Danone recalled powdered milk in over 60 countries after children exhibited poisoning symptoms from Cereulide toxin, which is resistant to cooking temperatures.
(Based on AP, Spiegel, The Guardian, AGES)
