Austrian police said rat poison was found in a jar of HiPP baby food after the product was pulled from shelves at 1,500 SPAR supermarkets in Austria over safety concerns, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Police in Burgenland province said traces of rat poison were found in a 190-gram jar of baby food at a supermarket in the Eisenstadt-Umgebung district in eastern Austria.
Baby food manufacturer HiPP stated that there is a possibility that some of its products were intentionally tampered with, with the dangerous substance being added later, after the baby food was already on the market.
"Hip" added that consuming the contents of the possibly tampered jars could be life-threatening.
Law enforcement authorities in the country pointed out that the bottom of the recalled jars was marked with a round red sticker and there were signs that the cap had already been unscrewed. An unpleasant odor was also detected during the inspections.
The police point out that similar jars were seized in laboratory tests in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where traces of a poisonous substance were also found.
It was later found that the products contained rat poison and they were withdrawn from all retail outlets in both countries, "Hip" said today.
The manufacturing company specifies that its products and distribution in Germany and other European countries are not affected and that law enforcement is currently investigating possible external criminal interference in the distribution network of "Spar" supermarkets in Austria.