Extortioners Tampering With British Baby Food

Two of Britain’s leading food manufacturers offered a $170,000 reward Wednesday for information leading to extortioners who have put glass shards, pieces of razor blades, thumbtacks and caustic soda in baby food.

H.J. Heinz Co. Ltd. and Cow and Gate Ltd. offered the joint reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprits. The companies said they received extortion demands but would not elaborate.

Since April 7, 28 incidents of tampering involving baby food have been reported, including 11 on Wednesday, the government said. At least three people have suffered minor injuries.

Scotland Yard said it is coordinating a nationwide police inquiry.

“It is difficult to imagine the twisted minds that could mount such a vicious attack on defenseless babies,” Home Office Minister John Patten told the House of Commons. He said the government pledged to resist “all attempts at consumer terrorism.”

The victims so far are a 9-month-old girl in Oxford, who cut her mouth on a piece of razor blade, and two mothers cut by glass hidden in jars of infant food. None required hospital treatment.

In one incident, sodium hydroxide, or caustic soda, was used to spike a jar of baby food. The white substance is a strong caustic base used in chemistry and oil refining.

London’s Daily Mail reported that blackmailers apparently are trying to extort money from supermarkets and food companies. It said several major supermarket chains have received threats.

Heinz, whose parent company is the Pittsburgh-based food giant, and Cow and Gate said internal investigations determined that their products were not tampered with during production. They said they will not submit to threats.