HiPP Baby Food Extortion: Rat Poison Found in Jars Across Central Europe

German baby food maker HiPP confirmed it is the victim of an extortion attempt after rat poison was discovered in five manipulated jars of its infant food across Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, with one contaminated jar still unaccounted for in the Austrian state of Burgenland. The HiPP company, which produces the affected product at its Bavarian facility, confirmed the criminal nature of the incident in a public statement. The contaminated product is a 190-gram jar of "Carrots with Potatoes" baby food intended for infants aged five months and older. No poisoned jars were found in Germany. The company stated that consuming the contents of the affected jars could be lethal.

Extortion email sat unread for three weeks The extortionist sent HiPP an email on March 27 demanding 2 (million euros) — ransom demanded by extortionist and setting a payment deadline of April 2, according to the Austrian newspaper Die Presse as reported by NOS. The email was sent to a general, non-personalized company mailbox that is checked only at irregular intervals, and it was not discovered until April 16 — more than two weeks after the payment deadline had passed. HiPP acknowledged the delay in a statement, noting the message had been routed to an inbox "reviewed at longer intervals as part of our standard processes." After discovering the email, the company immediately contacted police. „Hipp is the victim of extortion. The extortionist sent us a message to a non-personalized general mailbox, which is reviewed at longer intervals as part of our standard processes.” — HiPP via Süddeutsche Zeitung The company also stated that the jars left its plant in perfect condition and that the criminal manipulation occurred in three specific stores over which it had no influence.

Special task force "Glas" races to find missing jar The Ingolstadt criminal police established a dedicated investigation group named "Glas" to pursue the unknown perpetrator or perpetrators, according to Zeit Online. Austrian police in Burgenland are conducting an intensive search for the one jar still believed to be in circulation, having contacted kindergartens and care facilities as part of their efforts. „We are pulling out all the stops and have now also contacted kindergartens and care facilities.” — Burgenland police spokesperson via Die Welt The Austrian public prosecutor's office opened an investigation for "intentional public endangerment." Prosecutors said a preliminary toxicological report confirmed the presence of rat poison in at least one seized jar, and a more detailed investigation will follow to determine the precise dosage and the level of danger the poison would have posed if consumed. The alarm was initially triggered in Schützen am Gebirge, in the Eisenstadt-Umgebung district of Burgenland, after a customer reported a suspicious jar that was subsequently seized by the Regional Criminal Office before it was consumed.

White sticker with red circle marks tampered jars Authorities issued specific guidance to help consumers identify potentially contaminated jars. According to police in Burgenland and the Ingolstadt criminal police, manipulated jars can be identified by a white sticker with a red circle affixed to the bottom of the jar. Additional warning signs include a damaged or open lid, the absence of the characteristic "pop" sound when opening the jar, and an unusual or spoiled odor. HiPP initiated a product recall targeting all sold jars of the affected baby food in Austria, with the recall covering more than 1,000 Spar supermarkets — including Eurospar, Interspar, and Maximarkt outlets — across the country. Retailers in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also withdrew all jars of the brand's baby food from shelves after samples in those countries tested positive for rat poison. HiPP stated it had no reason to believe the contamination had spread to other European countries, and noted that its Dutch branch sells only baby milk powder and was not affected. Anyone who notices abnormalities in a HiPP baby food jar is urged by police not to consume the contents and to contact authorities immediately.

HiPP is one of Europe's best-known producers of organic infant food, with its main German production facility based in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Upper Bavaria, founded in 1932. The company's holding is headquartered in Sachseln, Switzerland. Product tampering and extortion cases targeting food manufacturers have historically prompted sweeping recalls and long-term consumer confidence challenges for affected brands across Europe.

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