Discount shelves are empty

Empty shelves at Spar, full shelves at the competition

A gaping void: Spar removed all HiPP products from its shelves.(Bild: Stefan Steinkogler)

Is my little one in danger? A question that likely woke many parents on Saturday. All HiPP products were quickly removed from the shelves at Spar and Maximarkt. The police are investigating, and there has been talk of a possible “life-threatening situation.” The products were still available for purchase at other supermarkets, however.

For parents of babies and toddlers, the latest recall of baby food—poisoned baby formula had already been recalled at the beginning of the year—understandably causes concern. Late Friday evening, baby food manufacturer HiPP announced in a press release that consumption of a specific jar, namely “Carrot and Potato Vegetable Jar” (190 grams), may have been tampered with by a dangerous substance introduced into the product and could therefore be “life-threatening”— as reported by krone.at.

“External criminal interference”
On Saturday afternoon, a HiPP spokesperson told dpa: “Based on current information, this appears to be an external criminal act.” They added that they could not say more at this time.

Salzburg State Councilor Wolfgang Fürweger (FPÖ) warned that the products could affect not only infants—but also the elderly and people with disabilities. It cannot be ruled out that the jars might also be consumed in nursing and care facilities.

Such jars may have appeared in the Burgenland region. So far, we have not discovered anything.

Burgenlands Polizeisprecher Helmut Marban zur APA

The Burgenland State Police Department has taken over the investigation. The products in question can be identified by a “marking on the bottom of the jar in the form of a white sticker with a red circle.” Suspicious products and tips can be reported to the police at [phone] – extension 3333.

The allegedly affected HiPP jar is still available in other stores.(Bild: Stefan Steinkogler)

Service hotline for concerned parents is finally up and running
HiPP stated Saturday afternoon that it understands the concerns raised by the report: “If a child shows no symptoms, there is no cause for concern.” If that is the case, however, one should contact a “medical emergency center.” For tactical reasons related to the investigation, the company did not wish to disclose the identity of the hazardous substance. Calls to the “HiPP Parent Service” (+437612/76577-104) went nowhere, but the hotline—which is normally staffed only on weekdays—appeared to have opened on Saturday afternoon. After six minutes on hold, a staff member actually picked up during a test call by the “Krone.” 

HiPP informed Spar customers via informational signs on the shelves.(Bild: Stefan Steinkogler)

Only at Spar were jars removed from the shelves
While a tour by the “Krone” of various Bipa, Billa, and Müller stores revealed entire rows of shelves stocked with all known HiPP products (even the supposedly affected jar of carrots and potatoes is still available for purchase there), there was a gaping hole in the Spar stores across the state. Even before the stores opened on Saturday, all products of the brand were removed on orders from headquarters, and notices for customers were posted on the shelves. And this despite the fact that, according to a spokesperson, the affected product is not part of their product range. 

In this case, there are no specific batch numbers involved. Please err on the side of caution and return all HiPP products purchased from us.

Spar-Mitarbeiter aus Wien

“Please play it safe!”
When the “Krone” asked an employee at a Spar store in Vienna, he warned: “Please play it safe—this is no joke!” Customers should bring all HiPP products to the stores, regardless of batch number or specific jar. It doesn’t matter whether they have a receipt or not. He himself couldn’t say exactly what had happened: “We weren’t informed about it.” When he hears that HiPP jars are still on the shelves at competing stores, he seems surprised. In any case, no suspicious samples had been received by the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) by Saturday afternoon.

Foodwatch harshly criticizes those responsible
One thing is clear: open communication with those potentially affected looks different. Foodwatch Austria also criticizes this in a press release. The manufacturer must “communicate all relevant information fully, clearly, and publicly,” even if it must be taken into account that not all information is yet available due to ongoing investigations. “In such a situation, the highest possible level of proactive transparency is required,” emphasizes Foodwatch Director Indra Kley-Schöneich.

A fact that concerned customers found missing from communications on Friday evening and Saturday morning.