Jerusalem Mother Says Her Children Were Sedated by Fruit Pouches, Suspected Tainted Stock Triggers Probe

A Jerusalem mother described alarming symptoms in her two children after they ate a baby fruit puree called Frinok, which later tested positive for sedatives. The Health Ministry told parents that the product contained clonazepam and lorazepam, drugs found in medicines such as Clonex and Lorivan. The mother said her 10-month-old daughter lost stability, her head fell back and she looked pale, while her older son could not stand and kept collapsing. She also said his eyes began closing and that he could no longer sit up.

According to her account, she called Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah, and an ambulance took the family to hospital, where doctors found a high level of the substance in both children, with the largest amount in the boy who ate more. A neighbor later told her that her own daughter was showing similar symptoms, and that child was also checked in hospital and found to have the same ingredient, though in a smaller amount after eating only one spoonful.

The mother said firefighters first came to the home and checked whether the sedative had entered through the air, but she and the nurses suspected the puree. Nurses then told her there had been a similar case weeks earlier, when two children aged three and one arrived in the same condition after eating the same type of puree. The families later realized the suspicious products had been bought from branches of the Zol UveGadol chain in Jerusalem, only minutes apart, and all said the jars were unusually hard to open.

The Health Ministry said it has examined the production line at the Frinok factory and has no suspicion the drugs were added there. It did not order a nationwide recall, but on Wednesday issued immediate closure orders for the two Jerusalem Zol UveGadol branches where the jars were purchased. The stores opened as usual until police arrived with inspectors and forced them to shut. The ministry said all leads are being checked, including possible deliberate sabotage by an outside source, and added that Zol UveGadol handed over security camera footage so police can see whether any employee was involved. The ministry also said it asked the Shin Bet to join the investigation. Parents whose children ate the product were told to watch for drowsiness, fatigue or confused speech, contact a pediatrician and call the ministry hotline at 5400*.