HiPP infant formula is not affected by this recall. The recall covers 190g jars of carrot and potato puree baby food sold at SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt supermarkets in Austria. HiPP Combiotik, HiPP Bio, HiPP Goat and HiPP HA formulas are not part of this recall. HiPP formula was also not affected by the earlier cereulide contamination recall of late 2025 and early 2026.
This is a criminal tampering case, not a manufacturing problem. HiPP and Austrian authorities have stated the jars left the HiPP facility in perfect condition. An unknown individual is believed to have tampered with products on retail shelves. The investigation is being led by Austria's Burgenland police.
If you bought HiPP jarred food at a SPAR-group store in Austria, look for a white sticker with a red circle on the bottom of the jar, a damaged or previously opened lid, a missing safety seal, or an unusual smell. Do not use the product. SPAR is offering full refunds without a receipt.
On Sunday 19 April 2026, HiPP announced a precautionary recall of its entire jarred baby food range sold through SPAR supermarket chains in Austria. The recall was triggered after samples of HiPP's 190-gram carrot and potato puree, intended for infants aged five months and above, tested positive for rodenticide. Similar contamination has been detected in samples in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and retailers in those countries have also withdrawn HiPP jars from sale.
This is the second major baby-food-related safety event in Europe in six months, after the cereulide contamination recall that affected multiple major formula manufacturers in 99 countries, and the specifics of this recall matter because the mechanism is completely different.
What happened: rat poison in HiPP baby food jars
According to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) and the Burgenland State Police, a customer in the Austrian city of Eisenstadt reported a HiPP baby food jar that appeared to have been tampered with. The lid was damaged, appeared to have been opened previously, and the contents smelled spoiled. The jar was tested on Saturday 18 April and was confirmed to contain bromadiolone, a rodenticide commonly used as rat poison.
Bromadiolone is an anticoagulant. It works by interfering with blood clotting, and ingestion can cause bleeding symptoms. According to AGES, symptoms may not appear immediately and can take two to five days to develop. These include bleeding gums, nosebleeds, unexplained bruising, blood in the stool, and extreme weakness or paleness. The condition is treatable, typically with Vitamin K which restores clotting ability.
HiPP issued a statement on its website saying, "This recall is not due to any product or quality defect on our part. The jars left our HiPP facility in perfect condition. The recall is related to a criminal act currently under investigation by the authorities." The company extended the recall to its entire jarred product range at SPAR-group stores as a precautionary measure, even though the contamination has so far been detected only in the carrot and potato variety.
As of the time of writing, Austrian police have not identified a suspect and the investigation is ongoing. Police are seeking information from the public. HiPP is cooperating fully with authorities.
Do not feed them to your baby. Do not try to assess safety by taste or appearance alone, because the poison is not always visible. Check each jar for a white sticker with a red circle on the bottom, a damaged or previously opened lid, a missing or loose safety seal, or any unusual smell. Return any HiPP jars from SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR or Maximarkt stores for a full refund. You do not need a receipt.
If your baby has consumed HiPP jarred food from a SPAR-group store in Austria recently and shows any symptoms of bromadiolone poisoning (bleeding gums, nosebleeds, unexplained bruising, blood in stool, extreme paleness or weakness), contact a doctor or emergency services immediately. Symptoms can appear two to five days after ingestion. Bromadiolone poisoning is treatable, but early intervention matters.
What this HiPP recall is not
Given the context of the last six months, it is worth being clear about what this incident is and is not.
This is not a manufacturing problem. Unlike the cereulide contamination that affected multiple formula manufacturers globally, which traced to a single Chinese ARA oil supplier providing contaminated ingredients downstream, the HiPP Austria case is a criminal tampering incident. The contaminant was introduced after the product left the factory. There is no supply chain failure, no manufacturing flaw, and no indication of a systemic quality issue at HiPP.
This is not a supply chain issue. The cereulide crisis affected 99 countries because contaminated ingredients were distributed globally through commercial supply chains. The HiPP tampering case is geographically limited to SPAR-group stores in Austria, with precautionary withdrawal in neighbouring Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It is not expanding to other countries because the contamination did not originate in the supply chain.
This does not affect HiPP infant formula. This point is important enough to state clearly. HiPP's jarred puree line and HiPP's infant formula are two separate products made in different facilities, packaged differently, and distributed through different channels. HiPP formula was not affected by the earlier cereulide contamination recall that hit multiple major formula manufacturers, and it is also not part of the current jarred food tampering recall. The specific products recalled are 190g glass jars of carrot and potato puree and, as a precaution, the entire jarred range at SPAR stores. No formula is part of this recall.
This does not affect HiPP products sold outside Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. HiPP's own statement specifies that products sold in other countries are not affected. US parents importing HiPP formula through specialist resellers are not in the distribution chain for the tampered products.
Which HiPP products are on recall?
Here is the concrete list, to avoid any confusion.
| Product | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HiPP 190g carrot and potato puree (5+ months) | Confirmed contamination | The original product where tampering was detected. Sold at SPAR-group stores in Austria. |
| All HiPP jarred baby food at SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR, Maximarkt (Austria) | Precautionary recall | Extended by HiPP as a precaution even though other varieties have not tested positive. |
| HiPP jarred baby food (Slovakia, Czech Republic) | Withdrawn as precaution | Samples tested positive. Retailers have pulled product. No recall notice beyond these countries. |
| HiPP jarred baby food at non-SPAR stores in Austria | Not recalled | HiPP statement specifies SPAR-group stores only. |
| HiPP Combiotik (infant formula, all stages) | Not affected | Separate product line. Not part of this recall. |
| HiPP Bio, HiPP Goat, HiPP HA (other formulas) | Not affected | Separate product line. Not part of this recall. |
| HiPP products sold in the US through importers | Not affected | Not in the distribution chain for the tampered products. |
| HiPP products in Germany, UK and other EU markets | Not affected | HiPP has stated that products sold in other countries are not part of this recall. |
Why we are keeping HiPP on our list
Editorial transparency: HiPP Combiotik formula is one of the brands we recommend. Given that we recommend it, the question of whether to continue recommending HiPP is a fair one to ask after any incident involving the brand name.
The answer is yes, we are keeping HiPP on our list. The reasoning is straightforward. Tampering incidents like this one are neither predictable nor preventable by any brand's manufacturing process. The 1982 Tylenol poisonings that reshaped pharmaceutical packaging in the US were a criminal act, not a Johnson and Johnson failure. The same logic applies here. HiPP cannot prevent a criminal from tampering with jars on a supermarket shelf, and neither can any other brand. What matters is how quickly the company responds, how transparently it communicates, and how it works with authorities. HiPP issued a public statement within 24 hours of the first confirmed sample, worked with Austrian police and health authorities, extended the recall to its full jarred range as a precaution even though only one variety tested positive, and offered refunds without requiring receipts. That is the correct response to an incident of this type.
We would make the same call for any other brand on our recommended list. We flag recalls honestly, we explain the mechanism, and we judge brands on the structural factors they control. Tampering is not one of them.
The last six months have produced an unusual concentration of baby food safety stories, and it is genuinely difficult for parents to keep the mechanisms straight. But the differences matter.
The cereulide crisis was a supply chain failure. A single Chinese supplier's contaminated ARA oil reached 99 countries through multiple manufacturers. The problem was structural. The ByHeart botulism outbreak was a manufacturing contamination. The bacteria came in through the whole milk powder ingredient and the finished product tested positive. The HiPP Austria incident is a criminal tampering case. One individual, one retailer, one country. Fundamentally different.
If you are in Austria and you bought HiPP jars at a SPAR-group store, the recall applies to you and the action is simple: return the jars for a refund, check for the warning signs police have flagged, and watch your baby for bleeding symptoms over the next few days if you have used any of the product. If you are anywhere else, or if you use HiPP formula rather than the jarred purees, this recall does not affect you. No formula is involved.
For the broader context on the 2025-2026 formula safety story, see our full shortage coverage and the WHO's March 2026 update on the cereulide crisis. We will update this article if the HiPP investigation produces new information.