The Family Dollar logo is centered above one of the company's general stores in Canton, Michigan, on Thursday, November 12, 2020. More than 1,000 rodents were discovered inside a Family Dollar distribution facility in Arkansas, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday. On February 18, 2022, the chain announced a voluntary recall affecting products purchased from hundreds of stores across the South.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
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Rogelio V. Solis/AP
The Family Dollar logo is centered above one of the company's general stores in Canton, Michigan, on Thursday, November 12, 2020. More than 1,000 rodents were discovered inside a Family Dollar distribution facility in Arkansas, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday. On February 18, 2022, the chain announced a voluntary recall affecting products purchased from hundreds of stores across the South.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
The Justice Department announced Monday that Family Dollar Co. has pleaded guilty to operating a warehouse infested with rodents and has been fined nearly $42 million, the largest criminal penalty ever in a food safety case. did.
More than 1,200 rodents were removed after the warehouse was fumigated following an inspection by the Food and Drug Administration in January 2022. The test found both dead and live rodents, as well as rodent feces and urine.
Family Dollar, a branch of Dollar Tree, Inc., was charged with one misdemeanor count of adulterating FDA-regulated products while stored in unsanitary conditions.
“When I joined the Dollar Tree Board of Directors in March 2022, I was deeply disappointed to learn of these unacceptable issues at one of our Family Dollar properties,” said Dollar Tree CEO Rick Dray. Mr. Ring said. “Since that time, and even more directly since I assumed the role of CEO, we have committed to ensuring that Family Dollar resolves this historic problem and has significantly improved our policies, procedures and physical facilities to ensure it does not happen again.” We have been working diligently to strengthen this.”
The company first began receiving reports in August 2020 of products being damaged by rats, pests and rodents during shipment from a warehouse in Arkansas. The facility serves more than 400 of his stores in Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee. However, products continued to be shipped from there until January 2022.
In February 2022, the company voluntarily recalled “all pharmaceutical products, medical devices, cosmetics, and human and animal food products” following an FDA inspection, according to the Department of Justice.
Family Dollar and Dollar Tree further added that they must follow vigorous reporting and compliance protocols.
“When consumers go to the store, they have the right to expect that the food and medicines on the shelves will be clean and uncontaminated,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Benjamin Mizer. “The public can rest assured that when companies violate that trust and the laws put in place to protect consumer safety, the Department of Justice will hold those companies accountable.”
