Israeli police said they still cannot determine whether a foreign substance was deliberately mixed into the baby fruit purée "Prינוק," as new complaints came in from parents in Tiberias, Holon and Rishon LeZion. The Health Ministry is also still examining whether those reports are linked to the broader case involving sedatives found in infants' blood.
Until now, four earlier complaints had centered on two branches of the "Zol u'Vagadol" supermarket chain in Jerusalem, but the newer reports came from other cities, raising the question of whether the problem is tied to a specific store. The importer, Randi, said the Health Ministry told it the products are safe for consumers and can continue to be sold.
One mother from Rishon LeZion, Chen Soliman, said her 18-month-old daughter regularly eats the purée. "Before a week and a half ago she became apathetic and sleepy, she kept sinking toward the sofa and could not hold herself up," she said. The child was taken by ambulance to the emergency room, where doctors found nothing unusual and discharged her after one day. Soliman said that after reading the report she realized the symptoms matched her daughter's case and would not bring the product home until the facts are clarified.
Police said the investigation began after toddlers who were described as lethargic were taken to hospital, where blood tests showed a sedative substance used in medicines such as Klonex. Police and the Health Ministry are jointly examining the purée the children ate. On Tuesday, two branch managers from "Zol u'Vagadol" were questioned, and investigators are reviewing security camera footage to see whether anyone tried to tamper with the product. Jerusalem District investigator Lt. Cmdr. Adi Mizrahi Buaron said, "We are treating this case with the utmost seriousness" and added, "We are still unable to determine that a person maliciously introduced a foreign substance into children's food."
