May 2, 2026, 5:32 p.mMay 2, 2026, 6:05 p.m
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Austrian investigators have arrested a suspect in the blackmail attempt against the baby food manufacturer Hipp. It is a 39-year-old man, as a spokeswoman for the Eisenstadt public prosecutor’s office told the German Press Agency. The suspect was arrested in Austria, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
Details about the suspect’s identity were not disclosed for tactical reasons. The 39-year-old is currently being interrogated, according to the police in the state of Burgenland, who arrested the man with the support of the Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office.
An unknown person tried to blackmail the German baby food manufacturer with rat poison in baby food. According to police, a total of five manipulated baby food jars containing rat poison were discovered in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In a 190-gram jar of “carrots with potatoes” seized in Austria, investigators found a total of 15 micrograms of rat poison – the type of poison was not yet known. A search was recently carried out for a second possibly poisoned glass in Austria. According to the company in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm in Upper Bavaria, the German range was not affected.
Not for the first time baby food is the goal
“Hipp is a victim of blackmail,” the company in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm in Upper Bavaria announced on April 20th. The company wrote on its homepage: “As soon as we became aware of it, we immediately informed the responsible police and authorities and set up an internal crisis team.”
Well-known companies have been the target of extortion attempts with poisoned food several times in the past. Not for the first time, baby food was the target. (sda/dpa)