Austrian police have urged the public to remain alert after a jar of HiPP baby food was discovered to contain rat poison, prompting a nationwide recall of the brand’s jarred purées sold through Spar supermarkets.
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Authorities in the eastern Austrian region of Burgenland said the contaminated jar of carrot and potato purée was reported by a customer. The customer’s baby had not eaten the product, police said.
Investigators believe the jar had been deliberately tampered with after leaving the factory.
Possible additional contaminated jars
Police warned that at least one more poisoned jar could still be in circulation. Officials have issued guidance to help consumers identify products that may have been interfered with.
According to authorities, signs of tampering may include damaged or opened lids, a missing safety seal, an unusual or spoiled smell, or a white sticker with a red circle on the bottom of the glass jar.
The warning was issued following information from German investigators. Authorities said tampered HiPP baby food jars have also been seized in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Police have not confirmed whether the incident is linked to an attempted extortion scheme.
Company says products left factory in “perfect condition”
HiPP, a German-based baby food manufacturer, said it had recalled all its jarred purées sold through Spar supermarkets in Austria after authorities detected the contamination.
The company said the recall was precautionary and stressed that the problem was not related to the manufacturing process.
“The recall is not due to a product or quality defect on our part,” the company said in a statement on its website. It added that the jars had left the factory “in perfect condition”.
HiPP said authorities investigating the case had confirmed that several seized jars contained rat poison and described the incident as a criminal act currently under investigation.
Retailers remove products as precaution
Spar has removed HiPP baby food jars from sale in Austria and also taken the products off shelves in other countries as a precaution.
Retailers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have likewise withdrawn the brand’s baby food jars from sale while investigations continue.
Customers who purchased HiPP jars at Eurospar, Interspar and Maximarkt stores in Austria have been advised not to consume the products and to return them to shops for a refund.
Austria has more than 1,500 Spar stores.
Authorities emphasised that baby food sold in other retail chains in the country has not been affected by the recall. HiPP baby formula products are also not involved.
Health advice for parents
The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety has urged parents to seek medical advice if their child consumed the affected food and shows symptoms such as bleeding, unusual weakness or paleness.
The discovery comes only months after other baby food safety concerns prompted global recalls.
Earlier this year, Nestlé and Danone withdrew certain batches of infant formula in more than 60 countries after contamination with the toxin cereulide was detected.
The toxin can cause nausea and vomiting and is not destroyed by cooking or when preparing baby milk.
In February, the UK Health Security Agency said at least 36 infants in Britain had suffered food poisoning linked to contaminated baby formula, though none of the cases were considered life-threatening.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 20 April 2026
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