Austrian police report finding rat poison in a HiPP baby food container.

 

File photo of a HiPP carrot and potato baby food jar(image; Getty Images)

Police in Austria have urged people to be vigilant after a sample of HiPP baby food was found to contain rat poison.

 Police in the eastern region of Burgenland said the poisoned jar of carrot and potato purée had been reported by a customer and that their baby had fortunately not consumed the food.

 The jar had apparently been tampered with, police said.  Authorities believe at least one more poisoned jar is in circulation and have issued guidance on how to recognise tampered jars.

 They have not confirmed that the cases involve an alleged extortion attempt.  But the police statement said the warning had come from German investigators and tampered jars had also been seized in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

 HiPP recalled all of the jarred purées it sold in Austrian Spar supermarkets on Saturday, warning that eating them could be "life-threatening." The baby food jar recall at Spar Austria, according to the German company, was "not due to a product or quality defect on our part" and that the jars had left its factory in "perfect condition." On its website, it stated, "The recall is related to a criminal act that is being investigated by the authorities."

"As previously reported in Austria and now also in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, isolated cases of tampered HiPP baby food jars have been seized as part of ongoing criminal investigations.

"The responsible authorities determined upon examination of these jars that they contained rat poison."

 As a precaution, Spar has also removed the brand's baby food from its stores in other nations. Austrian authorities have told consumers to look out for damaged or open lids, a missing safety seal, an unusual or spoiled odour, or a white sticker with a red circle on the bottom of the glass jar.

 The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety warned parents whose babies had consumed the brand's food to consult a doctor if their children showed signs of bleeding, extreme weakness or paleness.

 Additionally, customers have been instructed to return HiPP jars purchased at Eurospar, Interspar, and Maximarkt for a refund and not consume them. There are more than 1,500 Spar shops across Austria.

 The police previously stated that the recall did not affect baby food sold in other stores. HiPP's infant formula was unaffected as well.

Retailers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have also preemptively removed all HiPP baby food jars from sale.

 The incident occurs just a few months after two other infant formula manufacturers were forced to issue extensive recalls due to concerns about contamination. After babies became ill, Nestle and Danone recalled their baby formula brands in more than 60 countries, including the UK, in January and February. Specific batches were understood to have been contaminated with toxin cereulide, which can trigger nausea and vomiting when consumed.  Cooking and making baby milk do not eliminate the toxins. The UK's Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) said in February that at least 36 infants in Britain had suffered food poisoning due to contaminated baby formula.  The UKHSA stated that none of the infants' conditions were life-threatening.

Source: BBC