VIENNA: Austrian police have found rat poison in a baby food jar in a probe that has seen the company HiPP recall the line over suspected tampering, with the firm stating on Sunday its production process was not to blame.
The HiPP brand’s German base announced the recall at SPAR supermarkets in Austria late Friday over the possibility that “a hazardous substance” was introduced into its “carrot with potato” puree through tampering.
As part of ongoing investigations in Germany, police have seized jars in Austria, as well as the Czech Republic and Slovakia, police in Austria’s eastern Burgenland province said in a statement late Saturday.
“A sample of the seized product was examined on Saturday afternoon and tested positive for rat poison,” they said.
HiPP said on Sunday that its “production, quality, and control processes are fully intact” and the incident “is in no way related to product quality or production”.
“According to the current state of knowledge, as officially confirmed by the authorities, the case concerns only clearly defined sales channels,” a HiPP spokesman told AFP.
“Products and distribution channels in Germany or other European countries that are not part of the investigation are not affected,” he added.
Consumer warning
Austria’s agency for food protection said on Saturday that rat poison may have been introduced as part of an extortion scheme.
Customers were asked not to consume the product, which can be identified by a white label with a red circle on the bottom of the jar, and instead return it to the store of purchase.
Czech police on Sunday on X also warned consumers.
The scare is the latest to hit the baby food market.
Since December, several manufacturers — including European giants such as Nestle, Danone and Lactalis — have issued recalls of infant formula in more than 60 countries that could be contaminated with the toxin cereulide.
Several infants who consumed powdered milk containing cereulide — which can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea — have died, according to French authorities.
French prosecutors said in March the death of one baby in January “does not appear to be linked” to the infant’s consumption of contaminated formula.
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