HiPP says it has been targeted by blackmail after jars of its baby food were found contaminated with rat poison over the weekend in Austria and two neighboring countries. Austria’s food safety agency AGES issued a public warning and at least one supermarket chain has initiated a recall. Authorities are working to identify who is responsible.
What happened
Prosecutors in Germany have opened an investigation into attempted extortion, with police in Ingolstadt handling the case because HiPP’s headquarters are nearby in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm. Officials reported that five contaminated jars were discovered across three countries.
Where the jars were found
– Eisenstadt, Burgenland (eastern Austria): the first jar identified was a 190-gram carrot-and-potato jar that tested positive for rat poison. Authorities are still searching for a second suspicious jar in that area.
– Brno, Czech Republic: two poisoned jars were found in a shop; both reportedly bore a white sticker with a red circle, a marking mentioned in an extortion email and in AGES’s warning.
– Dunajská Streda, southern Slovakia: additional contaminated jars were located.
How to spot a potentially affected jar
Investigators say the contaminated jars showed signs of tampering: damaged lids and the absence of the usual audible “pop” when opened. HiPP and police explained that baby food jars are sealed while hot; as they cool a vacuum forms and the lid’s pop indicates an intact seal. Consumers are advised to listen for that pop, check for lid damage or unusual odors, and not to feed any jarred food that seems off. If you find a suspicious jar, contact local police rather than using the product.
Investigative details
Police and prosecutors are treating the incident as a criminal manipulation carried out outside factory premises. Authorities are collecting evidence from the contaminated jars and the extortion messages to determine whether the markings and stickers link the discoveries to the same perpetrator or group.
Past incidents and context
There are precedents where baby food has been used to pressure companies for ransom. Notable cases include:
– Late 1980s UK: jars were tampered with and returned to shelves; the perpetrator demanded millions and was later jailed. Those events helped drive adoption of pop-seal lids.
– 2017 Germany: jars in Friedrichshafen were contaminated with antifreeze in doses that could have been lethal; an attempted extortion of a supermarket chain led to a conviction and a 10-year sentence.
– 2018 UK: a blackmailer placed metal pieces in jars and demanded payment; surveillance led to arrest and a lengthy sentence.
– 2025 Poland: an arrest was made in a suspected extortion plot that threatened baby food, though no contaminated products were found and the case remains unresolved.
Why baby food is targeted
Extortionists often pick baby food because threats to infants attract intense public attention, maximizing pressure on manufacturers and retailers. The wide retail availability of jarred baby food also gives offenders many possible access points.
Industry safeguards and public advice
Manufacturers implement strict controls: limited factory access, tamper-evident packaging, batch numbering to allow targeted recalls, and close monitoring of supply chains. Retailers increasingly use surveillance in stores to deter tampering and to help identify suspects. Authorities and HiPP recommend that consumers:
– Check jar lids for damage and listen for the pop on opening.
– Smell the contents and discard any jar that smells unusual.
– Do not feed questionable products to children and report suspicious jars to local police immediately.
HiPP described the matter as blackmail in its press release and stressed that the contaminations appear to be external criminal acts, not problems originating at production sites. The case is ongoing as investigators piece together forensic evidence and trace the source of the extortion threats.
Note: this article was originally published in German.