Family Dollar recall hits 6 states for contaminated products in rodent infestation
A Family Dollar store is seen in Orlando, Florida on March 6, 2019, the day that Dollar Tree announced it will close up to 390 Family Dollar stores and rebrand about 200 stores as Dollar Tree stores, as Dollar Tree reported a $2.3 billion loss.
The US Food and Drug Administration issued an alert Friday that products at hundreds of Family Dollar stores could be potentially contaminated due to unsanitary conditions at one of the company’s distribution facilities.
An FDA inspection at a distribution facility in West Memphis, Arkansas in January 2022 found unsanitary conditions, including a rodent infestation, that could cause many of the products, such as foods and medicines, to be contaminated.
The products were purchased from Jan. 2, 2021 through the present and shipped to hundreds of stores across the U.S. including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee.
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Family Dollar has issued a voluntary recall for the products, citing the numerous hazards associated with a rodent infestation.
A company spokesperson told FOX Television Stations the affected stores have all been temporarily closed to conduct the recall.
"Our teams are working hard to reopen these stores as soon as possible," a company statement said.
Conditions observed during the FDA inspection included live rodents, dead rodents in various states of decay, rodent feces and urine, evidence of gnawing, nesting and rodent odors throughout the facility, dead birds and bird droppings and products stored in conditions that did not protect against contamination.
More than 1,100 dead rodents were recovered from the facility following fumigation at the facility in January 2022, the FDA said.
According to the FDA, rodent contamination may cause Salmonella and infectious diseases, which may pose the greatest risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised people.
Products included in Family Dollar’s recall include all drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, dietary supplements human and animal food products.
To date, Family Dollar is not aware of any consumer complaints or reports of illness related to this recall.
The recall only includes items shipped to specific stores in the six states listed above. You can see a full list of affected stores here.
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"Families rely on stores like Family Dollar for products such as food and medicine. They deserve products that are safe," said Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs Judith McMeekin, Pharm.D.
"No one should be subjected to products stored in the kind of unacceptable conditions that we found in this 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."
"We take situations like this very seriously and are committed to providing safe and quality products to our customers. We have been fully cooperating with all regulatory agencies in the resolution of this matter and are in the process of remediating the issue," Kayleigh Campbell, the Director of Investor Relations with Dollar Tree, Inc. said.
This story was reported from Detroit.