Austrian police find rat poison in recalled HiPP baby food jars

Families who bought HiPP Carrots and Potatoes baby food through SPAR Austria were told to stop using the jars immediately after police in Burgenland found rat poison in a 190-gram container from Schützen am Gebirge. HiPP said eating the purée could be life-threatening, and both the company and SPAR told customers to return affected jars for a full refund.

Burgenland police said the contaminated jar carried a red-circle sticker on the bottom and showed signs that pointed to tampering, including an opened or damaged lid, a missing safety seal or an unusual smell. A second jar was being tested, and police said they believed at least one more jar was still unaccounted for.

The warning widened after authorities in Germany alerted Austrian officials to the risk, and initial laboratory tests on similar jars seized in the Czech Republic and Slovakia also showed a toxic substance. The contaminated jar was found in the Eisenstadt-Umgebung district, underscoring how quickly a product sold for infants and toddlers can move from a supermarket shelf to a criminal investigation.

Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, known as Ages, said the case appeared to be a suspected extortion attempt. The agency warned that rat poisons can contain bromadiolone, an active ingredient that interferes with blood clotting and can lead to bleeding gums, nosebleeds, bruising or blood in the stool, with symptoms sometimes appearing only two to five days later.

SPAR said the precautionary recall covered about 1,500 stores in Austria and did not affect outlets elsewhere. The company and HiPP said the problem involved external criminal interference in the SPAR Austria distribution channel. Police advised anyone who had contact with the jars to wash their hands thoroughly.

The case has raised fresh questions about how infant foods are protected once they enter the retail chain, especially when warning signs can be subtle and the danger can be hidden inside a product marketed for young children. For parents, the immediate response is clear: do not serve the recalled jars, return them to the store, and watch closely for any jar with a damaged seal, a compromised lid or a suspicious odor.