Israel’s Health Ministry says its investigation into suspicious contamination in Frינוק baby fruit purées has uncovered five products containing the prescription drugs clonazepam and lorazepam. The products were found after reports of two cases in which five children were hospitalized after eating the purée and possible exposure to benzodiazepines, though all of the children have since been discharged.
The ministry said most other similar reports were examined and ruled out. Since the suspicion arose, food service inspectors carried out nationwide checks and sampling of hundreds of products, including about 50 toxicology tests, 110 vacuum-seal checks in laboratories, and more than 500 packaging inspections at points of sale. The five contaminated products were traced to three items supplied by families and bought in branches of the Zol ve’Gadol chain, and two more sampled from the chain’s shelves in Jerusalem.
According to the ministry, products taken from the importer’s warehouses and other retail locations, apart from those two branches, showed no sign of the drugs. The ministry said the five contaminated items appear to have been opened unlawfully before purchase. It also reviewed import records and the supply chain, including consumption estimates, import volumes, warehouse inspections, a declaration from the manufacturer in the Czech Republic, and the route of distribution with the importer.
Based on the information reviewed so far, the ministry said it has found no indication of a systemic problem in production, import, or storage, and no reason for a broad recall. A district doctor in Jerusalem signed administrative closure orders for the two Zol ve’Gadol branches on Jaffa Street 113 and 214. Hospitals were also told to stay alert for possible benzodiazepine exposure in infants and young children. The ministry said police have handled the investigation from the start and that all findings were shared with law-enforcement agencies early on.
