Rodent infestation spurs product recall by family dollar stores

A wide range of human food, pet food, medical devices and drug products have been recalled by Family Dollar Inc. due to the risk of salmonella and other hazards associated with a rodent infestation at a company warehouse in Arkansas.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-regulated products were shipped from the Family Dollar Distribution Center in West Memphis to 404 stores from Jan. 1, 2021 to the present.

"Use or consumption of affected products may present risk of illness due to the potential presence of salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in infants, young children, frail or elderly people, pregnant persons, persons with pre-existent pathology (e.g., patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy treatments, organ transplant recipient, etc.) and others with weakened immune systems," the company said in a statement.

"Healthy persons infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain," the company added. "In rare circumstances, infection with salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis."

Family Dollar said it is not aware at this time of any consumer complaints or reports of illness related to the recall.

The company said it is notifying the 404 affected stores by letter and asking them to check their stock immediately and to quarantine and discontinue the sale of any recalled product.

Customers that may have bought a recalled product may return it without a receipt to the Family Dollar store where it was bought, the company said.

The recall does not apply to products shipped directly to the stores by the distributor or manufacturer, such as all frozen and refrigerated items.

For more information, customers can contact Family Dollar Customer Service at 844-636-7687 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.

Customers should contact a health care provider if they have any problems that may be related to using recalled products, and those with concerns about their pets who have eaten recalled pet foods should contact their veterinarian, the company advised.

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