Multiple Central European countries initiated emergency removals of infant food products from retail stores this Monday following the discovery of rat poison contamination in HiPP brand baby food containers during weekend testing.
Austria’s health ministry issued urgent warnings to parents, childcare facilities, and nurseries to exercise extreme vigilance when feeding infants with HiPP products. The German-based manufacturer initiated a recall after laboratory testing in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic revealed the presence of rat poison in product samples.
Officials suspect criminal interference with 190-gram containers of carrot and potato baby food formulated for 5-month-old infants, which were distributed through SPAR grocery chains in Austria. Initial contamination was detected through Saturday testing.
Austrian investigators announced Monday they are actively searching for a second potentially contaminated container that may have been purchased at a Spar location in Eisenstadt, an eastern Austrian municipality, according to the Austrian news agency APA.
“It is deeply disturbing that someone is apparently willing to endanger the health of babies for criminal motives,” Health Minister Korinna Schumann told APA.
Czech authorities discovered two contaminated HiPP containers at a retail location in Brno. State prosecutors in Brno verified the discovery but declined to provide additional information due to the ongoing criminal investigation.
The Germany-headquartered HiPP corporation confirmed that contaminated containers were identified in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The company stated that “retail partners in both countries have already removed all jars of HiPP baby food from sale as a precaution.”
Slovak law enforcement officials confirmed they are examining suspicious containers recovered from a store in Dunajska Streda.
Slovenia’s health inspectorate announced the preventative removal of all HiPP products from Spar and additional supermarket chains throughout the country.
Austrian officials also contacted Hungarian authorities, warning that contaminated products may have been purchased by residents living near the border area surrounding Eisenstadt.
Burgenland Police in Austria indicated that suspicious products likely display a white label with a red circle on the container bottom. Additional warning indicators include compromised or previously opened lids, unusual or rotten odors, and the absence of the typical popping sound when initially opening the jar.
The Burgenland prosecutor’s office is pursuing the investigation under charges of “intentional endangerment of the public.”
HiPP issued a statement last week clarifying that the recall “is not due to any product or quality defect on our part. The jars left our HiPP facility in perfect condition.”
As a safety measure, HiPP announced the recall of all baby food containers sold through Austria’s SPAR retail network, including SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt locations.
According to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, rat poison commonly contains bromadiolone, a substance that inhibits blood coagulation. Consumption of rat poison may cause bleeding gums, nosebleeds, bruising, and blood in bowel movements.
The agency warned that symptoms may manifest two to five days following ingestion.
