Man arrested after jars of baby food found contaminated with rat poison
A man has been arrested after rat poison was discovered in jars of HiPP baby food across Europe.
Police took a 39-year-old suspect into custody following a contamination scare that triggered recalls in 1,500 supermarkets.
An investigation was launched when a customer reported that a jar had been tampered with.
The seized jar of carrots and potatoes flavoured baby food then tested positive for rat poison in the city of Eisenstadt.
Authorities said five tampered jars were intercepted before they could be eaten.
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Baby food manufacturer HiPP has taken its jars off the shelves in Austria, Slovakia and Czech Republic.
The products affected were carrot-and-potato baby food meant for infants as young as five months old and were being sold at SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
Authorities are still searching for a sixth jar, believed to be in Austria, which has not yet been located.
Police said affected jars were marked with a white sticker and a red circle on the bottom.
Families have also been warned to look out for damaged or open lids, jars missing a safety seal or an unusual or spoiled odour.
HiPP revealed it has been a victim of extortion, adding that someone sent a message to a shared mailbox, prompting them to contact police.
The company said the products all left their facilities in perfect condition.
They stressed the recall was precautionary and not a result of a manufacturing fault.
Store bosses have pledged to hand a full refund to customers who return the products.
Anyone who has purchased any of the suspect jars has been advised to thoroughly wash their hands.
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