Family Dollar recalls products in 6 states after FDA uncovers rodent infestation

Several products of the discount chain Family Dollar have been recalled after a rodent infestation was discovered at a distribution center in Arkansas. The products were shipped to over 400 stores in the South, all of which have been temporarily closed. 

In a statement on Saturday, the FDA said that after receiving a consumer complaint, it began an investigation of the Family Dollar distribution facility in West Memphis, Arkansas, last month.

During the on-site inspection, authorities found “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,” FDA said, adding that over 1,100 dead rodents were recovered from the facility following fumigation.

“US Food and Drug Administration is alerting the public that several categories of FDA-regulated products purchased from Jan. 1, 2021, through the present from Family Dollar stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee may be unsafe for consumers to use,” FDA said in a statement.

“The impacted products originated from the company’s distribution facility in West Memphis, Arkansas, where an FDA inspection found insanitary conditions, including a rodent infestation, that could cause many of the products to become contaminated.”

Some of the recalled products include human foods, cosmetics, animal foods, medical devices, contact lens cleaning solutions  and over-the-counter (OTC) medications.

“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.”