Khaberni - Austrian police announced late Saturday the discovery of rat poison in a package of baby food manufactured by the company "Hipp", after the product was withdrawn from more than a thousand "supermarket" stores of the Spar chain in the country due to safety concerns.
The police of the state of Burgenland stated in a statement that a sample of one of the "Carrots and Potatoes" baby food packets, which weighs 190 grams and was reported by a consumer, tested positive for rat poison.
Hipp announced on Saturday that the possibility of a hazardous substance being mixed into the product cannot be excluded and that packages of "Hipp Vegetable Carrot with Potato" might have been tampered with.
The company indicated that consuming the contents of the packages might pose a life-threatening risk.
The police statement noted that the affected packages bear a label that includes a red circle at the bottom of the package and that their caps were pre-opened or damaged or not securely sealed with safety seals, or they emit a strange smell.
It added that preliminary laboratory tests on similar packages seized by the police in the Czech Republic and Slovakia also showed the presence of a toxic substance. No further details were mentioned in the statement.
The police said that Austrian authorities received a warning of a potential risk following investigations conducted in Germany, without providing further details as well.
Hipp company indicated on Saturday that the matter "is related to external criminal interference affecting the Spar distribution chain in Austria". It was not possible to contact the company on Sunday for additional comment.
A spokesperson for the Spar store chain told Reuters on Saturday that the product withdrawal is a precautionary measure and affected 1500 stores in Austria, without any impact on stores in other locations.
Spar and Hipp advised customers not to consume the contents of the packages purchased from the Spar chain in Austria. They confirmed that customers would receive a full refund for the returned products. The police advised washing hands thoroughly in case of contact with the package.
