The two Zol Begadol supermarket branches whose baby food products were found last week to contain sedative drugs have been banned from selling food and cosmetic products until they develop an extensive quality assurance system, the Health Ministry announced on Thursday.
According to the Health Ministry, a total of five tainted products were found during the investigation, with three handed over by customers and two found on store shelves. All five showed signs of tampering prior to purchase.
In light of this, the stores will be allowed to sell only non-edible, non-cosmetic products until they have established a system to prevent further incidents.
The system, the Health Ministry stated, must include reducing uncontrolled access to the products, conducting regular inspections of them, training employees to recognize damaged products, and immediately reporting any suspicion of food damage to the Health Ministry.
The police investigation is still ongoing, the Ministry stated.
Health Ministry confirms sedatives found in baby fruit puree
The Health Ministry confirmed last Wednesday that laboratory tests found clonazepam and lorazepam in jars of Prinok baby fruit puree sold at the two branches of Zol Begadol, a discount supermarket chain in Jerusalem.
The products were purchased at the chain’s Mahaneh Yehuda branch at 113 Jaffa Street, and at another branch at 214 Jaffa Street, both in the center of the capital.
Clonazepam and lorazepam belong to the benzodiazepine family, a class of prescription drugs used as sedatives, anti-anxiety medications, and other treatments.
Avihai Chiim, Efrat Forsher, and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.