Austrian Police Arrest 39-Year-Old Suspect After Rat Poison Found in HiPP Baby Food Jars

Police in eastern Austria arrested a 39-year-old suspect in connection with rat poison found in HiPP baby food jars. The arrest followed a probe launched by the Burgenland State Criminal Police Office after the poison was discovered in a jar purchased at a supermarket in Eisenstadt on April 18, 2026. The suspect was being questioned, with no further details immediately provided.

The Burgenland public prosecutor’s office announced an investigation into suspected intentional endangerment of the public. An expert report on the toxicity of the poison was pending, as reported by the Austrian Press Agency. A total of five tampered baby food jars were seized before they could be consumed.

7-ounce) jars of HiPP baby food made with carrots and potatoes for 5-month-olds sold from SPAR supermarkets in Austria. SPAR supermarkets include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores. A customer reported that a jar appeared to have been tampered with at the time of the discovery on April 18, 2026, but no one had consumed the tampered baby food.

Vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic removed all HiPP baby jars from sale. The company, based in Pfaffenhofen, Germany, stated the recall was not due to any product or quality defect on its part.

HiPP said the jars left its facility in perfect condition. The company stated it was greatly relieved by the arrest and would provide further updates as verified details come in. HiPP has been a victim of extortion, with an unspecified blackmailer sending a message to a shared mailbox.

Authorities believe the tampering targeted jars on supermarket shelves in central Europe. The case came to light last month, prompting immediate action from police and prosecutors in Burgenland. HiPP informed police after receiving the extortion message.

No injuries were reported from the incident. The probe remains ongoing under the direction of prosecutors. Police confirmed the arrest on Sunday, emphasizing tactical investigative reasons for withholding additional information.