Tainted baby food jars

HiPP Recall: Trail Leads to Upper Austria

The case is currently being investigated by Austrian and German authorities. Jars produced by the manufacturer HiPP are suspected of having been tampered with using poison.(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

Following the HiPP recall at Spar and Maximarkt, shocking reports are now coming in thick and fast. According to “Spiegel,” a search for tampered jars is now underway in a second state: Upper Austria. It had previously been reported that a second poisoned jar was believed to be in circulation in Burgenland.

According to “Spiegel,” the search for tampered HiPP jars is now in full swing in Austria—specifically in two federal states. In addition to Burgenland, investigators are now also searching for the tampered jars in Upper Austria. Confirmation to the “Krone” has not yet been provided.

The investigation is being led and coordinated by the Criminal Investigation Department (Kripo) in Ingolstadt, as a spokeswoman for the local police headquarters confirmed to the German news agency dpa. According to her, the police are in close contact with the company. Further details were not disclosed for tactical reasons.

Germany Not Affected So Far
Specifically, the issue concerns the HiPP variety “Carrots and Potatoes,” in which individual jars may have been contaminated with rat poison. According to authorities, products from Germany have not been affected so far. In Austria, two cases have been reported so far from Eisenstadt in Burgenland. Laboratory tests have confirmed the suspicion of rat poison in the jar from Schützen am Gebirge. Suspicious jars have also been seized in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. All affected products were immediately removed from stores; in Austria, this affected Spar and Maximarkt.

The police are urging caution, especially regarding the tampered container, which is likely still in circulation. According to the Burgenland police, based on the current state of the investigation, suspicious products can be identified by a white sticker with a red circle on the bottom of the jar. Additionally, the lid may be open or damaged, and the safety seal may be missing, resulting in the absence of the characteristic “click” sound when first opened.

On Saturday, it became known that the company HiPP is apparently being blackmailed. However, neither German nor Austrian investigators have confirmed this so far. HiPP headquarters spoke on Saturday of an “external, criminal intervention”; a blackmail letter is said to have been received at headquarters. Nothing is known about suspects or arrests.

Police continue to ask for tips
Communication from the German company was quite chaotic the day after the case became public. Initially, there was talk of “life-threatening danger,” followed by reassurances; in some cases, a lack of knowledge regarding the current status was also acknowledged. The Ministry of Health and the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) called for “special caution” until the case is fully resolved. The police are still accepting tips. According to authorities, if poisoning is suspected, medical professionals should be contacted immediately or the Poison Control Center’s emergency number at 01-406-43-43 should be dialed.

The Eisenstadt Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into intentional endangerment of the public, as agency spokesperson Petra Bauer announced on Sunday morning. A “toxicological analysis” of the second jar has been ordered. According to Bauer, the priority now is “averting danger.”