Austrian police have arrested a man after rat poison was found in baby food containers – National
Austrian police say a 39-year-old man has been arrested after baby food brand HiPP recalled some cans of baby food after samples were found to contain rat poison in central Europe.
HiPP, a German-based baby food manufacturer, recalled some product in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic last month after authorities said the defect occurred in 6.7-ounce (190-gram) containers of carrot and potato baby food for five-month-olds sold at SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
In a statement sent to Global News, a HiPP spokesperson said “investigative authorities have announced that a man has been arrested.”
“We are very relieved by this development and thank the investigating authorities for their dedicated work,” the company added. “We will provide another update as soon as we have new, confirmed information. Please understand that we cannot comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
The Burgenland Regional Criminal Police Office, under the direction of prosecutors, said the investigation was conducted after poison was found in a jar of baby food purchased at a supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt on April 18, according to the Associated Press.
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It said the suspect is being interrogated, no information will be available immediately. The Burgenland public prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into the alleged “intentional endangerment of the public”.
Global News has contacted the Burgenland Regional Criminal Police Office for further comment, but has not yet received a response.
The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the toxicity of the poison is still awaited. Five jars of baby food were seized before they were eaten, APA reported.
The Eisenstadt Public Prosecutor's Office has already filed a request for pretrial detention, according to APA.
Police in Burgenland, Austria said the suspicious products may have a white sticker with a red circle on the bottom of the jar. Other warning signs include a damaged or open lid and a strange or rancid smell. There may also be no sound coming out when the jar is first opened.
“HiPP has become a victim of fraud. This news is not trusted by many – we understand,” said the food company in a statement before the arrest. “HiPP's main concern is protecting children and families. We took immediate steps to protect consumers as soon as we heard about fraud.”
HiPP said its internal crisis management team is coordinating “all measures in cooperation with the police and relevant authorities.”
“This case is the result of fraud without a crime beyond our scope at three supermarkets in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We are not aware of any other fraud,” the company added. “It is important to emphasize that this incident has nothing to do with our production quality. HiPP's production, quality, and control procedures remain the same without restrictions.”
HiPP said there was “a known case where one child's food jars were criminally tampered with by third parties using rat poison” and that the company was “not aware of any other cases of exploitation.”
“HiPP itself is not responsible for these actions. This case is caused by external criminal manipulation beyond our sphere of influence in three markets,” added the company.
HiPP became aware of the situation after “a non-suspect person sent a message to a shared non-personal mailbox that is checked at frequent but regular intervals as part of our normal operating procedures.”
“As soon as HiPP became aware of the message, the company reported it to the police authorities,” the company added.
HiPP responded by recalling all of its baby food jars sold in SPA supermarkets – including SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores – in Austria as a precautionary measure.
Retailers in Slovakia and the Czech Republic have also removed all baby food jars of the brand from sale.
Rat poison usually contains bromadiolone, an anticoagulant that prevents blood from clotting, according to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety. Eating rat poison can lead to bleeding, such as bleeding gums and bleeding, as well as bruising and blood in the stool.
Symptoms can appear two to five days after drinking, the agency said.
— via files from The Associated Press
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