A suspected tampering case has triggered a sweeping recall of Hipp baby food jars sold at Spar in Austria. Here’s the practical advice for families
Hipp has recalled its entire baby food jar range sold through Spar Austria after warning that a dangerous substance may have been introduced into one of its products through tampering.
The company said it could not rule out that the 190g product Hipp Gemüsegläschen – Karotte mit Kartoffel had been manipulated. Because of that risk, customers are now being asked not to consume any Hipp baby food jars bought at Spar in Austria.
The warning is unusually broad. Although the concern appears to centre on one carrot-and-potato jar, Hipp said all baby food jars purchased at Spar should be returned “to safely rule out any unnoticed consumption”.
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Customers told not to consume any Hipp jars bought at Spar
Hipp said the recall was being carried out as a precaution. The company said it could not rule out the possibility that a dangerous substance had been added to the product through tampering.
The affected jars can reportedly be identified, based on current information, by a white sticker with a red circle attached to the bottom of the glass. But the company is not limiting the return advice to those marked jars. Instead, it is asking customers not to consume any Hipp baby food jars bought at Spar Austria.
Those products can be returned to any Spar, Eurospar, Interspar or Maximarkt branch. The purchase price will be refunded even without a receipt.
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Authorities are investigating, but key details remain unclear
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Many of the most important details are still missing.
Der Standard reported that Hipp is not publicly saying what the suspected substance is. The company also did not clarify how many jars are affected. A request to the Hipp parent service about what substance may be involved was met with the response that staff would speak only with affected parents.
That also leaves open a question many families will immediately have: what to do if a child has already eaten from one of the jars. According to Der Standard, a staff member on the hotline said it was “very unlikely” that a genuinely contaminated jar had already been fed to a child. Parents who are worried are being told to call the hotline for guidance.
Later on Saturday morning, Hipp also issued a written statement saying the recall had been made as a precaution “to exclude even a theoretical risk”. The company added that if a child shows no symptoms, there is no reason for concern. Parents who are unsure or notice symptoms should contact a paediatrician or a medical emergency service.
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Police in Burgenland ask for information
The investigation is being led by the Burgenland provincial police directorate.
Police spokesman Helmut Marban said the reason the Burgenland force was involved was a tip-off suggesting that relevant jars may have turned up in Burgenland. At the same time, he said police had not yet found anything.
The police are asking the public to come forward with any observations. People with information about possibly manipulated Hipp baby food jars or suspicious contents are being asked to contact investigators on +43-5913310-3333.
Hipp’s Austrian parent service is also reachable on +43-7612-76577-104, and the company said the line would remain open over the weekend rather than only on weekdays as usual.
Key vocabulary
Rückruf – product recall
Babykostgläschen – baby food jar
gefährlicher Stoff – dangerous substance
Manipulation – tampering
vorsorglich – precautionary
Ermittlungen – investigation