Police Probe Deepens in Baby Food Sedation Scare in Jerusalem

Israeli police on Thursday gave an updated account of the investigation into sedative substances found in fruit purées for babies in Jerusalem. According to the statement, some of the Health Ministry’s test results have been handed to investigators and are now guiding the next steps in the case.

The inquiry began after an initial report raised suspicion that sleeping drugs had been mixed into baby food. Several toddlers were later hospitalized at Hadassah Ein Kerem in Jerusalem after eating fruit purées and showing unusual symptoms, including lethargy and severe weakness. Laboratory tests found traces of benzodiazepines in their blood, substances used as sedatives and anesthetics for adults.

Because the case involves minors, the Jerusalem District placed the probe under the responsibility of the Zion area’s YAMAR, the police anti-crime unit that handles complex investigations. Police said investigators are already carrying out extensive overt and covert work to identify the source of the sedatives and how they entered the products, and that all investigative leads are being examined. The Health Ministry said tests on jars of fruit purée from the “Prinek” brand found the drug ingredients clonazepam and lorazepam in products bought at two “Zol U’Gadol” branches on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem, both of which were immediately closed by ministry order.

Police said they are working closely with Health Ministry experts, sharing laboratory findings, coordinating field operations, and combining law-enforcement and public-health efforts. One mother whose children were hospitalized described the moment they began to deteriorate in a park, saying the children became unstable and started falling to the ground. She said one child was “groggy and unconscious,” while another, who ate only a few spoonfuls, could not sit up and looked very weak. The Health Ministry stressed that there is no blanket recall of all Prinek products at this stage, and that so far there is no sign of a manufacturing defect at the factory, though the investigation continues.