A jar of carrot and potato purée meant for a five-month-old. A damaged lid. And inside, according to Austrian police, rat poison.

The discovery, reported by a customer in the Austrian city of Eisenstadt on April 18, has triggered a product recall spanning at least five countries, a cross-border criminal investigation, and urgent warnings to parents across Central Europe.

The baby whose food it was did not eat the contents, according to police in Burgenland, the eastern Austrian province handling the case. A sample from the 190-gram jar of HiPP baby food tested positive for rat poison on Saturday afternoon.

A Recall With Wide Reach

HiPP, the German-based baby food manufacturer, has recalled its entire range of jarred purées sold at SPAR supermarkets in Austria — including SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR, and Maximarkt stores. That covers more than 1,500 shops.

SPAR Austria went further, removing all HiPP baby food jars from sale in every country where it operates: Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Northern Italy. Retailers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have also pulled the products preemptively, according to police.

HiPP has been emphatic that the contamination did not originate at its factory. “The recall is related to a criminal act that is being investigated by the authorities,” the company said in a statement on its website. Jars had left its facility in “perfect condition,” HiPP said, describing the situation as “an external criminal interference that affects the SPAR Austria distribution channel.”

Baby food sold in shops other than SPAR in Austria remains unaffected, police said, as does HiPP’s baby formula, which is sold separately.

Signs of Tampering

Authorities have identified several red flags for consumers. The contaminated jar in Eisenstadt had a lid that appeared to have been opened previously and smelled spoiled, according to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety.

Police have warned 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. Anyone who has handled a suspicious jar should wash their hands thoroughly.

If consumed, the rat poison can inhibit blood clotting, potentially causing bleeding gums, nosebleeds, and bruising, the Austrian health agency said. Symptoms may be delayed, appearing two to five days after exposure. Parents whose babies have eaten the affected product should seek medical help immediately.

An Extortion Investigation

Authorities have not confirmed a motive, but the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety said the rat poison may have been introduced as part of an extortion scheme, according to Channel News Asia.

The warning about tampered jars came from German investigators, police said. Jars have been seized in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, with initial lab tests on jars in the latter two countries also showing the presence of a toxic substance. Authorities believe at least one more poisoned jar could still be in circulation.

Products and distribution channels in Germany and other European countries not part of the investigation remain unaffected, HiPP said.

A Market Already on Edge

The incident lands at a difficult moment for the European baby food industry. Since December 2025, manufacturers including Nestlé, Danone, and Lactalis have recalled infant formula in more than 60 countries over contamination with cereulide, a toxin that causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea and is not destroyed by cooking.

The UK Health Security Agency reported at least 36 infants in Britain suffered food poisoning from contaminated formula as of February, though none of the cases were life-threatening. According to French authorities, several infants who consumed cereulide-contaminated formula have died, though French prosecutors said in March that one baby’s death in January “does not appear to be linked” to the contaminated product.

Those earlier recalls involved a manufacturing contamination — a failure inside the production process. The HiPP case appears to be something different. If the extortion theory proves correct, it would mean someone deliberately introduced a lethal substance into food intended for infants, somewhere between the factory gate and the supermarket shelf.

HiPP is offering full refunds on returned jars, no receipt required. The investigation is ongoing.

Sources