Rat poison found in HiPP baby food in Austria, prompting recall

The Dutch baby food and formula brand HiPP has recalled jars of baby food after one in Austria tested positive for rat poison, officials said. No one consumed the baby food.

Authorities believe someone may have tampered with it. They said the sample, which tested positive for the poison on Saturday, was one of HiPP’s 190-gram (6.7-ounce) jars of baby food made with carrots and potatoes. They’re meant for 5-month-olds and sold at SPAR supermarkets in Austria.

The contaminated jar was reported by a customer in the city of Eisenstadt, said the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, which cited Austria’s Burgenland police in a lengthy statement about the discovery. It had a damaged lid that appeared to have been opened previously and smelled spoiled, they said.

HiPP, in a statement, said it is recalling all of its baby food jars sold at SPAR supermarkets — which include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores — in Austria as a precaution. Customers can get full refunds even without a receipt.

HiPP said it cannot rule out that the poison was added through external contamination. Other details were not immediately available Sunday.

Authorities in Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are also investigating.

If consumed, rat poison can inhibit blood clotting in the body, potentially causing bleeding gums, nose bleeds and bruising, among other symptoms, the Austrian health agency said. Symptoms may be delayed, appeared two to five days after consumption.