Authorities in eastern Austria have detained a 39-year-old individual following the discovery of rat poison in HiPP baby food jars available in supermarkets across central Europe.
HiPP, which initiated a recall of certain baby food products in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic after the incident surfaced last month, expressed relief over the arrest in a statement on Saturday. The company assured that more updates would be shared as confirmed information becomes available.
The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, with oversight from prosecutors, launched an investigation after traces of poison were found in a baby food jar bought from a supermarket in Eisenstadt on April 18.
Authorities mentioned that the suspect is currently being interrogated, but refrained from providing additional information at this time.
The public prosecutor’s office in Burgenland has initiated an inquiry into potential “intentional endangerment of the public.”
The Austrian Press Agency noted that a detailed expert analysis on the poison’s toxicity is still awaited.
A total of five tampered baby food jars were seized before they could be consumed, APA reported.
Authorities said previously they believe the tampering occurred in 6.7-ounce jars of baby food made with carrots and potatoes for 5-month-olds that were sold from SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
HiPP responded by recalling all of its baby food jars sold at SPAR supermarkets — which include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores — in Austria as a precaution.
Vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also removed all of the brand’s baby jars from sale.
The company said the recall was not due to any product or quality defect on its part, and said the jars left its facility in “perfect condition.”
Police said a customer at the time of the discovery had reported that a jar appeared to have been tampered with, but no one had consumed the baby food.
Pfaffenhofen, Germany-based HiPP said it has been a “victim of extortion,” adding that an unspecified “blackmailer” sent a message to a shared mailbox in the case, prompting it to immediately inform police.
