Austria Police Arrest Man in HiPP Baby Food Tampering

Police in eastern Austria arrested a 39-year-old man Saturday in connection with the tampering of HiPP baby food jars with rat poison, an incident that prompted product recalls across central Europe last month.

The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office launched an investigation after a customer reported a tampered 190-gram jar of carrot and potato baby food for 5-month-olds at a SPAR supermarket in Eisenstadt on April 18. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of rat poison, with one jar containing 15 micrograms of the substance. Authorities recovered five such manipulated jars in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic before any could be consumed. A sixth jar, believed to have been sold in Austria, remains unaccounted for.

The suspect faces charges of deliberately endangering the public and attempted grievous bodily harm, according to prosecutors. A police spokesperson in Burgenland, where the initial discovery occurred, stated, "Today we succeeded in arresting a suspect, a 39-year-old man," but declined to release further details to avoid jeopardizing the probe. Officials believe the tampering was part of an extortion scheme targeting Germany-based HiPP, the manufacturer.