Israel’s Health Ministry has imposed sweeping restrictions on two Jerusalem branches of the Zol U’B’Gadol supermarket chain, banning them from selling food and toiletries until further notice. The order takes effect at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday and applies to the branches on Jaffa Street 113 and Jaffa Street 214.
The move follows a police investigation and Health Ministry testing after two incidents in which five babies and toddlers, aged 3, 9 and 10 months, were hospitalized after eating fruit purees bought at those stores. Laboratory checks found unusually high levels of benzodiazepines, including clonazepam and lorazepam, in the products. All of the children have since been discharged, and other similar reports were examined and ruled out.
As part of a nationwide inspection campaign, Health Ministry food service inspectors tested hundreds of products across Israel. The ministry said the work included toxicological testing of about 70 jars, 110 vacuum-seal checks, and inspections of more than 500 products for packaging integrity. Five contaminated products were identified in total, three provided by the children’s families and two taken from the shelves of the two Jerusalem branches. In all five cases, officials found signs that the packages had been opened improperly before purchase.
The ministry said no irregular substances were found in tests at the importer’s warehouses or at other retail locations, and the supply chain review, from production through import and storage, found no evidence of a manufacturing failure or contamination at the factory. For now, there is no sweeping recall of Prינוק-brand products. The branches may keep operating, but only sell non-food and non-cosmetic items, and they must submit a detailed self-monitoring plan, approved by the ministry, before regaining permission to sell food and toiletries. The plan must include packaging checks, restricted access to shelves, routine product inspections, employee training, and immediate reporting of any suspected tampering. Police continue the investigation, and the ministry urged the public to buy food only in original sealed packaging and seek medical advice if exposure is suspected or symptoms appear.
