Published 4 days ago • loading... • Updated 2 days ago
Arrest Made in HiPP Baby Food Rat Poison Tampering Case
Police say the suspect is being questioned after five tampered jars were recovered before consumption and HiPP expanded recalls across three countries.
On Saturday, Austrian police arrested a 39-year-old man in Burgenland in connection with blackmailing German baby food manufacturer HiPP by placing rat poison in product jars.
An email demanding €2 million was sent to HiPP in March, but the company overlooked it because the message reached a rarely monitored group address, per Statement 22.
Investigators recovered five "manipulated" jars across Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia before consumption, including a 190-gram jar of "carrots with potatoes" containing 15 micrograms of rat poison.
HiPP issued a product recall in Austria following the discovery, while authorities continue searching for a sixth jar believed to remain somewhere within the country.
The suspect faces charges of deliberately causing a public danger and attempted grievous bodily harm, with German police assisting the investigation as the case involves a German-based manufacturer.
A 39-year-old man is being questioned after rat poison was found in some jars of baby food on supermarket shelves in Central Europe, as authorities continue to investigate the case.