Police in Austria have urged people to be vigilant after a sample of HiPPbabyfood was found to containrat poison. The authorities in the eastern region of Burgenland said thepoisonedjar of carrot and potato purée had been reported by a customer, and that their baby had fortunately not consumed the food.
According to officials, the jar had apparently been tampered with, and authorities believe at least one more poisoned jar is in circulation. They have also issued guidance on how to recognise tampered jars. They have not confirmed whether the cases involve an alleged extortion attempt. However, the police statement said the warning had come fromGermaninvestigators, and tampered jars had also been seized in the Czech Republic andSlovakia.
On Saturday, HiPP recalled its entire range of jarred purées sold in SPAR supermarkets inAustria, saying consuming them may be potentially "life-threatening".
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The German-based company said the recall of baby food jars was "not due to a product or quality defect on our part" and that jars had left its factory in "perfect condition".
"The recall is related to acriminalact that is being investigated by the authorities," it said on its website. "As part of ongoing criminal investigations, isolated cases of tampered HiPP baby food jars have been seized - as previously reported in Austria, now also in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
"The responsible authorities determined upon examination of these jars that they containedrat poison."
SPARhas also removed the brand's baby food from its stores in other countries as a precautionary measure.
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.
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
