Israel’s Health Ministry said it found sedative drugs in fruit puree jars sold under the Frינוק brand. Laboratory tests identified clonazepam and lorazepam in the products, and the contaminated jars had been sold at two Zol U’Vagadol branches in Jerusalem.
The ministry ordered immediate closure of the two stores, on Yaffa Street 113 and 214, and involved additional enforcement bodies, including the Israel Police. According to the ministry, the children’s products were not linked to a manufacturing defect or contamination at the production plant, so no broad recall of all Frינוק products was declared.
The announcement came after at least four toddlers were hospitalized at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital about two days earlier after eating Frינוק fruit puree. The hospitalized children have since been discharged. The ministry said it updated the parents of the hospitalized toddlers that sedative substances were found in the puree.
The Health Ministry urged parents whose children ate the product to watch for changes in behavior, including sleepiness, exhaustion, or confused speech, and to contact a pediatrician and the ministry hotline at 5400*.
