The renowned European infant food manufacturer HiPP announced on April 19 local time that some of its branded jarred baby foods in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are suspected of being contaminated with rodent poison. The company stated in a declaration that "the investigation confirmed these products were clearly tampered with by human intervention." As a precautionary measure, retailers in both countries have removed all HiPP jarred baby food products from their shelves.
The Czech health inspection system issued a warning on social media, urging the public to remain highly vigilant and contact local health authorities if they suspect purchasing contaminated items. Previously, Austria's Health and Food Safety Agency reported that unidentified criminals sent extortion emails to HiPP, claiming to have laced certain products with rat poison. Following an investigation, several jars of carrot and potato puree suspected of contamination were discovered at a SPAR supermarket in Eisenstadt, Austria. The affected containers were marked with white stickers featuring a red circle.
HiPP initiated a recall of the entire product series from all SPAR supermarkets in Austria on the evening of the 17th, cautioning consumers that "consumption of these jarred foods could be life-threatening." The international retail group SPAR, headquartered in the Netherlands, has withdrawn HiPP products from all countries where it operates, including Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and northern Italy.
Austrian police confirmed that no evidence of poisoning has been found in the recalled items, but some products from the same batch may have been sold prior to the recall. Authorities advised the public to avoid consuming purchased HiPP baby foods temporarily and to report any suspicious signs immediately. Identifiable features of compromised products include a white label with a red circle on the base, opened or damaged lids, missing safety seals, or unusual odors.
The Austrian Health and Food Safety Agency warned that active ingredients in rodent poison can disrupt blood clotting. Parents should seek immediate medical attention if a child exhibits symptoms such as bleeding gums, nosebleeds, unexplained bruising, or blood in stool after consuming HiPP products.
HiPP emphasized that the incident is limited to specific distribution channels and does not affect other European countries outside the investigation scope.
Regarding the Chinese market, inquiries made on April 20 to customer service representatives of HiPP's flagship stores on major Chinese e-commerce platforms confirmed that the affected jarred purees from Austrian SPAR channels are not imported or sold through official channels in China. All products available in the Chinese market are safe for consumption.
HiPP's German headquarters responded on April 20, clarifying that the incident is related to malicious tampering rather than product quality or manufacturing issues. All HiPP products sold through official channels in China are unaffected. HiPP China issued a statement the same afternoon, describing the event as a criminal case involving intentional poisoning in select supermarkets in Austria and the Czech Republic. It reassured consumers that products sold through正规渠道 in China remain safe.
Established over 120 years ago in Germany, HiPP is renowned for its organic farming practices and sells organic baby food products in nearly 60 countries worldwide. The brand offers over 400 products, including formula, complementary foods, skincare items, and nutritional products, making it the global retail leader in organic infant nutrition. HiPP entered the Chinese market in 2011 and currently sells organic infant formula, probiotics, organic complementary foods, and other children's nutritional products there.
Positioned in the mid-to-high end segment in China, HiPP's organic infant rice cereal, for example, is priced between 18.5 and 21.5 yuan per 100 grams—lower than Bellamy's equivalent product, comparable to Earth's Best organic line, and significantly higher than domestic basic variants.
According to an April 2 update on HiPP's official social media account, Stefan Hipp, the fourth-generation leader of the company, recently visited China to strengthen cooperation with long-term strategic partner China State Farms Shanghai Corporation. He emphasized that HiPP's founding principle was not to maximize sales but to produce pure, healthy infant food, positioning the brand as a pioneer in systematized and standardized organic industry development.
Stefan Hipp also stressed that food safety is a critical concern in China's maternal and child market. HiPP maintains a 100% traceability system for all raw materials, ensuring full transparency from source to finished product. The company personally knows every partner in its supply chain and conducts annual on-site audits of all suppliers. Additionally, HiPP operates its own advanced testing laboratory in Europe, collaborating with official labs to screen for pesticides and harmful substances from the raw material stage. Public records indicate that HiPP formula undergoes 500 quality checks from原料 to成品, with its laboratory capable of testing for over 1,200 residues.
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