400 Family Dollar Stores Are Closing Due To Severe Rat Infestation

You expect for huge store chains to be able to maintain cleanliness within their establishments. But sometimes, it cannot be avoided that there will be rats running around, especially in grocery stores. This though can put an establishment in huge trouble during inspection.

One store chain that is currently facing this problem is the Family Dollar. And not one, but 400 of their stores are closing due to severe rat infestation.

For sure you have shopped at your local Family Dollar. If you are trying to stretch your dollar, then this is the best place to go. While some dollar stores are actually $1.25 stores now, you can still save quite a bit of money if you shop here compared to other full-priced stores.

Still, even if you are purchasing products here at a discounted price, you expect to buy items that are safe especially for human consumption.

Unfortunately, if you constantly shop at Family Dollar and you live in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri or Tennessee, it is advised that you should stop using the products you purchased from that store immediately, especially those purchased in 2022.

An investigation into a consumer complaint about a Family Dollar store in West Memphis, Arkansas, started on January 22. Due to their conclusions, Family Dollar decided to recall a lot of their products and close 404 of their stores on February 11.

Reports say that the Food and Drug Administration discovered over 1000 dead rats in its warehouse. In addition, there were also dead birds, rat droppings, and animal urine all throughout the warehouse. That is totally unacceptable since this warehouse was used to store a variety of Family Dollar products, including cosmetics, food, and medicine, among others.

This rat infestation though does not appear to be a new issue at this warehouse. Looking back at the company’s records it revealed that they removed more than 2000 dead rodents between March 29 and September 17 of last year.

In a press release, FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs Judith McMeekin, Pharm.D, said:

“Families rely on stores like Family Dollar for products such as food and medicine. They deserve products that are safe. 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.”

If you love hoarding products, please discontinue use of any items purchased from a Family Dollar store after January 1, 2022. If you happen to purchase the product from a Family Dollar store in one of the affected states – Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, stop using them immediately and return it to the store where it was purchased. And if you have any health concerns that might be related to the use of one of these products, contact your doctor as soon as possible.

The FDA explains that “Rodent contamination may cause Salmonella and infectious diseases, which may pose the greatest risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised people.”

If you believe you might have bought products that are included in the recall, you can contact Family Dollar Customer Service at 844-636-7687.