Austrian company HiPP recalled baby meals with potatoes and carrots after attempted blackmail, with unknown perpetrators claiming to have infected them with rat poison. An infected jar was spotted at a SPAR chain store in Eisenstadt on Saturday, causing urgent warning from authorities. The company warned that consumption may be life-threatening, as rat medicine affects blood clotting. All HiPP products were preventively withdrawn from the SPAR throughout Austria. Parents are invited to return the products and seek medical assistance if symptoms occur.
Analyticalally:
A jar with a baby meal by HiPP, which was infected with rat poisonIt was located in Austria where the authorities issued an urgent warning to consumers yesterday.
Austrian officials said unknown perpetrators allegedly attempted to blackmail the manufacturing company, claiming that they have contaminated her products with rat poison, forcing HiPP to recall whole batches of baby meals.
«It cannot be excluded that a dangerous substance has been introduced into a product», says HiPP in its communication, filling in that baby jars with potatoes and carrots may be infected.
Austrian police warned consumers not to open any of the suspicious jars and immediately inform the authorities. One incident was reported by a consumer yesterday Saturday, but the product was not consumed, according to the same source.
The Austrian Food Safety Agency (AGES) reports in its communication that it is likely that the case is an attempt to blackmail the manufacturer. According to AGES, during the investigation carried out came up «suspicion» that certain baby jars with potatoes and carrots may have been contaminated with rat poison.
Based on the information so far, a branch of the SPAR chain in Eisenstadt has been affected. On Friday night the HiPP company recalled all its products from the SPAR chain supermarket throughout Austria. For its part, SPAR announced that it withdrew all HiPP products from its store shelves in Austria for precautionary reasons.
«Consumption of a [mouse-infected] meal can be life-threatening», warned HiPP, while the company's representative described the case as «external criminal intervention».
No broken jars have been found
Police announced that in any of the jars with children's meals withdrawn from shops in Austria no signs of forced entry detected. However, a representative warned that any contaminated products may have already been purchased before recall.
In this context, Austrian police appealed to parents not to consume HiPP baby meals, but to return them to the supermarkets and contact the authorities if they notice anything suspicious.
According to AGES, the active substances commonly contained in mice may affect blood clotting. Possible symptoms include bleeding of the gum, nosebleeds, unexplained bruising and blood in the faeces. Parents who observe such signs on babies who consumed HiPP baby meals should immediately request medical assistance, it is underlined.
The HiPP family business was founded in 1899 in Bavaria, Germany. Today, its headquarters are located in Zakscheln, Switzerland.
