Vienna: Rat poison was found in baby food in Austria. Austrian police detected rat poison in samples of canned baby food from a world-renowned brand, leading to a major product recall from supermarkets nationwide for safety reasons. Police in the Austrian state of Burgenland confirmed on Saturday (April 18) that rat poison was detected in samples of canned pureed baby food from the HiPP brand after a customer report. The affected product was a 190-gram sample of HiPP's Carrots and Potatoes flavored baby food for children aged 5 months and older. The poison found was Bromadiolone, an anticoagulant. Ingestion can cause bleeding gums, nosebleeds, bruising, or bloody stools, with symptoms appearing 2-5 days after exposure.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident led to a large-scale product recall from over 1,500 SPAR supermarkets nationwide for safety reasons. However, this only affected SPAR stores, including Eurospar, Interspar, and Maximarkt in Austria, and did not impact products in other channels or countries. Police also seized suspicious products in the Czech Republic and Slovakia for further investigation following a warning stemming from an investigation in Germany.
Officials believe the arsenic contamination in baby food was not caused by the manufacturing process but by external criminal interference, possibly involving extortion. They warn that if consumers find any suspicious products or packaging-including lids that show signs of being opened or damaged, those lacking a safety seal, a white sticker with a red circle on the bottom of the bottle, or those that emit an unusual odor upon opening-they should absolutely not consume the product as it is life-threatening. Products can be returned to the store for a full refund.