Dollar Tree Just Recalled Its Family Dollar Goods Due To Rodent Exposure

Dollar Tree bought out Family Dollar in 2015. So now, there are hybrid locations with both logos on the building plus, and the chains use some of the same distributors. But recently, more than 400 Family Dollar stores have been closed amid a recall that affects dozens of products, including food, according to CNN. This recall came in response to a potentially nauseating revelation about the condition of a Family Dollar warehouse in West Memphis, Arkansas.

An FDA investigation found more than 1,000 dead rodents, and the report is quoted as saying the rodent droppings were "too numerous to count," per CBS News. The findings likely didn't blindside Family Dollar, which allegedly had knowledge of its rodent problem in January 2020 if not earlier. (The chain actually captured upwards of 2,300 rodents between late March and mid-September 2021, according to Food Safety News.) In a press release, Dollar Tree stated that this closure cost a whopping $34.1 million in inventory markdowns and product recalls. Understandably, customers were upset at the thought of rats crawling all over the products they were buying, and according to Insider, some are calling for a boycott.

Family Dollar officially made the recall on February 18th, 2022 (via the FDA). Since Dollar Tree now uses the same distributors since buying out Family Dollar, the recall affects products at its stand-alone stores as well. Food Safety News reports that the products named in the announcement include food, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and pet food from stores in certain states. The announcement cites "potential exposure to rodents and rodent activity" as the reason. Many of the products fall under a Class II recall, which means they have the potential to cause "temporary or medically reversible adverse health" effects (via FDA). (Some items, such as pet food, have yet to be classified.)

The CDC currently lists 11 diseases that can be transmitted through contact with rat feces, including salmonella, hemorrhagic fever, and tularemia, the last of which can be transmitted just by breathing contaminated air. The affected products are centralized to Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. The recall applies to any product purchased on or after January 1, 2021. Customers can return their potentially tainted items to the store without a receipt.