Family Dollar issues recall for various products after FDA inspection reveals rodent infestation at Arkansas facility

Items ranging from dietary supplements and medication to cosmetics and pet foods may have been exposed to insanitary conditions at Family Dollar’s distribution facility in West Memphis, Arkansas, federal officials said in a news release. An FDA inspection found that a rodent infestation could have potentially contaminated the products.

Family Dollar on Friday issued a voluntary recall of particular items that were sold after January 1, 2021, at hundreds of stores throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee, according to a news release.

The company said it’s not aware of consumer complaints or reports of illnesses related to the recall.

“Family Dollar is notifying its affected stores by letter asking them to check their stock immediately and to quarantine and discontinue the sale of any affected product. Customers that may have bought affected product may return such product to the Family Dollar store where they were purchased without receipt,” the company said.

CNN has reached out to Family Dollar for comment.

Rodents are associated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in certain people, according to the company’s news release.

“Families rely on stores like Family Dollar for products such as food and medicine. They deserve products that are safe,” said Judith McMeekin, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs at the FDA.

“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.”

The FDA advises people to throw away all drugs, medical devices, cosmetics and dietary supplements, regardless of packaging. However, food packaged in undamaged glass or all-metal cans may be safe for use after being cleaned and sanitized properly.

The recall doesn’t apply to products shipped directly to stores by the distributor or manufacturer, including all frozen and refrigerated items, Family Dollar said.

CNN’s Katherine Dillinger contributed to this report.

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