Burgenland authorities issued an urgent warning on 19/4 after confirming that a second jar of HiPP baby food potentially containing rat poison had been sold. The incident, reported by Die Presse, Austria's most influential newspaper, is being investigated as "intentional endangerment of the public" in a transnational extortion plot.
Earlier, Austrian police confirmed the discovery of rat poison in a 190-gram jar of carrot and potato baby food. This finding followed the product's recall from 1,500 SPAR supermarket stores due to contamination concerns. Both affected jars were traced back to a SPAR supermarket in Eisenstadt, the capital of Burgenland.
According to the Austrian Agency for Food Safety (AGES), rat poisons contain various active ingredients with distinct health impacts. Bromadiolone, a common active ingredient, is a vitamin K antagonist. This substance inhibits the body's natural blood clotting, posing a severe bleeding risk if ingested.
Poisoning symptoms often have a delayed onset, appearing two to five days after consumption. Parents should monitor for signs such as nosebleeds, bleeding gums, bruising, or blood in the stool. If a child exhibits bleeding, severe weakness, or pale skin, seek immediate emergency medical care. Inform medical staff that the child consumed the alerted baby food product.
"This is suspected to be an extortion attempt", AGES explained online. With timely medical intervention, particularly vitamin K supplementation, this poisoning is treatable.
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Rat poison was detected in a sample of the 190-gram carrot and potato baby food jar product. Photo: APA/Tobias Steinmaurer. |
HiPP representatives stated that the company is cooperating with investigators and cannot disclose further details to maintain investigation confidentiality. A HiPP spokesperson emphasized, "This serious situation involves a criminal external interference targeting SPAR's distribution channel in Austria." The company affirmed its production and quality assurance processes meet standards.
Reuters reported that SPAR supermarket chain representatives described the comprehensive recall across 1,500 Austrian stores as an urgent precaution. Customers who bought HiPP products at SPAR are advised not to use them and to return them for a 100% refund.
Austrian police identified signs of product tampering: a white sticker with a red circle on the jar's bottom, a damaged lid, or no "pop" sound upon first opening. Changes in smell or texture are also suspicious. If an abnormal jar is found, do not open or feed it to children. Instead, isolate the product from other foods, use gloves when handling, and wash hands thoroughly with soap for at least 30 seconds afterward. Report suspicious jars immediately to the nearest police station for investigation.
The reason for the rat poison's presence in HiPP baby food remains unknown. Amidst the complex suspected extortion targeting HiPP products, the Ministry of Health and AGES urge public caution until the case is fully resolved. The Ministry of Health of Vietnam also instructed local authorities to urgently recall and advise consumers to stop using HiPP carrot and potato baby food jars due to suspected rat poison contamination.
The HiPP incident follows earlier market disruptions in the baby food sector 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 not destroyed by cooking temperatures.
Binh Minh (According to AGES, Die Presse, ORF)
