Shin Bet to Probe How Psychiatric Drugs Ended Up in Baby Food

What began as a routine recall notice for infant food has escalated into a potentially criminal investigation after traces of the prescription drugs clonazepam and lorazepam were found in baby fruit purees sold under the “Prinok” brand at branches of the “Zol U’gadol” chain in Jerusalem. Clonazepam is an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia, while lorazepam is a sedative and sleeping pill, and both can cause significant side effects.

So far, the contaminated products were found in stores on Jaffa Street 113 and Jaffa Street 214 in Jerusalem, both operating under the name “Machane.” The Health Ministry issued closure orders for both shops, and police and the Shin Bet are now involved in investigating how the contamination occurred.

The first alert came at the start of the week, after hospitals in the Jerusalem area admitted children with neurological symptoms. On Tuesday, the Health Ministry instructed local hospitals to increase monitoring of infants and children arriving with such symptoms, and it issued similar guidance to parents whose children had consumed these products.

The ministry also reminded parents to check that food products are sealed, properly labeled, sold in their original packaging, and that vacuum seals are intact, in this case indicated by the popping sound when opening the jar. So far there has been no blanket recall of all Prinok products sold by Randy, because investigators have found no sign of a manufacturing defect or contamination at the factory, and tests on imported products have all come back normal. That means it remains unclear where and how the baby food was tainted. The ministry said the hospitalized children have since been released.