Rat poison found in baby food, extortion suspected

Five jars of HiPP baby food contaminated with rodenticide have been discovered in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, prompting suspicions of a blackmail plot. The food safety agency AGES in Austria issued a warning, and one supermarket chain began a recall after the tainted products were identified. Authorities are now focusing on determining the perpetrator behind the incident.

Police in Ingolstadt, Germany, are investigating the case as a possible attempt at extortion. The unit in Ingolstadt was assigned the probe because HiPP’s headquarters is located in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, a nearby town. The first contaminated jar was found near Eisenstadt in Burgenland, Austria’s easternmost province. Initial tests revealed that a 190-gram jar of carrot and potato had been poisoned. Investigators are still searching for a second jar in the same region.

“HiPP is the victim of blackmail,” stated the press release from the German baby food manufacturer.

Two additional poisoned jars were discovered in a shop in Brno, Czechia. Local media reported that the jars bore a white sticker and a red circle, matching the markings described by the alleged blackmailer in an email. AGES also noted these distinctive labels in its warning. In Dunajska Streda, southern Slovakia, contaminated jars were found with damaged lids that failed to produce the usual “pop” sound when opened.

HiPP claims the contamination was caused by “criminal external” tampering outside its factory. The company advises parents to listen for the popping sound when opening jars, check the smell of the contents, and avoid feeding the food to children if anything seems off. They also recommend contacting local police immediately.

Historical cases of baby food sabotage

Similar incidents have occurred in the past, often linked to extortion. In the 1980s, a notorious case involved a UK police officer from Scotland Yard who tampered with baby food using chemicals and razor blades before replacing the jars on store shelves. He demanded 4 million pounds ($7 million) in ransom but was eventually caught and sentenced to 17 years in prison.

A decade later, in 2017, baby food jars contaminated with antifreeze were found in Friedrichshafen, southwestern Germany. The perpetrator attempted to extort €12 million ($14 million) from a supermarket chain and is now serving a 10-year prison sentence. In 2018, a UK blackmailer used Bitcoin to demand 1.4 million pounds, threatening to poison more jars with salmonella. Surveillance footage helped capture him, resulting in a 14-year sentence.

More recently, in 2025, Polish police arrested a man for allegedly planning to extort money by threatening to poison baby food. However, no contaminated products were uncovered yet, and the case remains under review. Targeting infants for extortion is considered especially egregious, ensuring maximum pressure on companies to meet demands. Despite this, baby food undergoes stringent controls, with manufacturers securing factories and using tamper-evident packaging to enable quick recalls.