Additional Coverage:
Authorities in eastern Austria have arrested a 39-year-old suspect in connection with the discovery of rat poison in certain HiPP baby food jars found on supermarket shelves across central Europe.
HiPP, the baby food manufacturer, issued a recall last month for some of its jars sold in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. In a statement released Saturday, the company expressed relief over the arrest and promised to share further verified information as the investigation progresses.
The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, working under prosecutorial guidance, launched an investigation after poison was detected in a jar purchased in Eisenstadt on April 18. The suspect is currently being questioned, though authorities have withheld additional details. The Burgenland public prosecutor’s office has opened an inquiry into alleged intentional public endangerment.
According to reports, an expert analysis regarding the toxicity of the poison is still pending. So far, five tampered baby food jars have been recovered before reaching consumers.
The affected products were 190-gram jars containing carrot and potato baby food intended for infants around five months old, sold in SPAR supermarket locations throughout Austria. In response, HiPP recalled all its baby food jars sold at SPAR outlets-including SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR, and Maximarkt stores-in Austria. Retailers in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also withdrew the brand’s baby jars as a precautionary measure.
HiPP emphasized that the recall was not due to any defect or quality issue on their end, affirming that the jars left their facility in perfect condition. The initial discovery came when a customer reported a jar that appeared tampered with, and notably, none of the contaminated jars had been consumed.
The company, headquartered in Pfaffenhofen, Germany, described itself as a “victim of extortion,” revealing that an unidentified blackmailer sent a message to a shared mailbox linked to the case, prompting immediate police notification.