Feb. 19 (UPI) — A rodent infestation at an Arkansas distribution facility may have contaminated products at Family Dollar stores in six states, the Food and Drug Administration has warned.
The company initiated a voluntary recall of FDA-regulated products purchased from January 1, 2021, through Family Dollar stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee.
The recall stems from an FDA inspection which “found insanitary conditions, including a rodent infestation,” at the company’s distribution facility in West Memphis, Ark., that may have contaminated the products at the six stores, a statement from the FDA said Friday.
The rodent contamination may cause salmonella and infectious diseases, which could pose the greatest risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised people, the federal regulator added.
Consumers should wash their hands immediately if they handled any of the recalled products and if they have health concerns should contact a health professional, the FDA advised.
“Families rely on stores like Family Dollar for products such as food and medicine,” Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs Judith McMeekin said in the statement. “No one should be subjected to products stored in the kind of unacceptable conditions that we found in the Family Dollar distribution facility. These conditions appear to be violations of federal law that could put families’ health at risk. We will continue to work to protect consumers.”
The company began the investigation in the distribution facility in Arkansas after a consumer complaint and ceased distribution of products within days of arrival on site.
The inspection, which concluded last week, recovered more than 1,100 dead rodents.
A review of the company’s internal records also indicated a history of infestation with the collection of more than 2,300 rodents between March 29, 2021, and Sept. 17, 2021.
