Jerusalem grocery branches ordered shut after sedatives found in baby fruit puree

Israel’s Health Ministry issued immediate closure orders for two Jerusalem branches of the Zol U’B’Gadol supermarket chain after jars of Prino fruit puree sold there were found to contain clonazepam and lorazepam, sedatives intended for adults. The case surfaced days earlier, when four young children were hospitalized after eating Prino puree and traces of sedatives were detected in their blood.

The sealed branches are the “Machane” store at 113 Jaffa Street and another branch at 214 Jaffa Street in Jerusalem. The Health Ministry said it also brought in additional enforcement bodies, including the Israel Police. On Monday, the ministry instructed hospitals to be more alert to infants and small children arriving with symptoms that could indicate exposure to benzodiazepines, and to report any similar cases from recent weeks.

Officials said the hospitalized children have since been discharged. They added that there is no current basis for a blanket recall of all Prino products, because no defect or production failure has been found and no contamination was identified at the factory. Tests carried out on products from importers were also said to be normal. The ministry warned families not to consume products bought at the two Jerusalem branches, or any products not sold in sealed, original packaging.

Parents whose children ate Prino puree were asked to watch for behavioral changes such as drowsiness, exhaustion, or confused speech, and to contact a pediatrician or the Health Ministry hotline at 5400*. In a response, Randy, Prino’s distributor, said the ministry had found no manufacturing flaw or factory contamination, all importer tests were normal, and the products are safe for consumers. The company said the evidence points to a third party deliberately adding foreign substances, and stressed that Prino has been sold for more than 20 years across all supermarket chains.