The FDA is asking people who bought products from those locations to throw them out and see a doctor.
Family Dollar stores in six states have voluntarily recalled products due to rat infestations at a distribution facility in Arkansas, the Food and Drug Administration said. The administration said it found 1,000 dead rodents after a fumigation at the facility, and now products from stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee are being voluntarily recalled.
The recall is for products purchased between Jan. 1 2021 and today, and includes but is not limited to: FDA-approved dietary supplements, Cosmetics, including skincare products, baby oils, lipsticks, shampoos and baby wipes, animal foods, including kibble, pet treats and wild bird seed, medical devices, including feminine hygiene products, surgical masks, contact lens cleaning solutions, bandages and nasal care products.
In January, the FDA said they received a consumer complaint about the the facility and began an investigation. Inspectors said they found living and dead rodents, as well as, "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 1,000 dead rodents were then found after a fumigation, and internal records showed that between March and September of last year, there had been 2,300 found in the facility, according to the FDA.
Distribution from the Arkansas facility was stopped after inspectors visited the facility.
Family Dollar said there hasn’t been any illness in relation to the recall.
"Families rely on stores like Family Dollar for products such as food and medicine. They deserve products that are safe," Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs Judith McMeekin said in the FDA's statement. "No one should be subjected to products stored in the kind of unacceptable conditions that we found in this Family Dollar distribution facility."
The FDA has advised anyone who bought Family Dollar products from those locations during that time frame to throw them out.
Rodent contamination can cause infectious disease and salmonella and anyone who bought any of these products should visit a doctor as soon as possible, the FDA said.
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