The FDA has warned consumers that various products purchased within the past year from Family Dollar stores might be contaminated and unsafe to use. Family Dollar has since issued a recall of products that have been sold after January 1st, 2021, at various stores including those in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Missouri. The company claimed they were not aware of consumer complaints or any illness related to their products. The FDA investigation report described a dirty, rat-infested facility where merchandise including both animal and human food are stored. The inspectors observed “rodent evidence, including live rodents, dead rodents of various states of decay, rodent excreta pellets…gnawings, nesting, and odors.” The FDA reports Family Dollar has been aware of this problem since January 2020. The company has temporarily closed infected stores and they are working to clear products and reopen the stores as soon as possible. In one situation a “live large rat” was in a box and at another store, a rat jumped out of a pallet of goods. Family Dollar advised customers to return the affected product to stores, even without a receipt. Kayleigh Campbell the Family Dollar spokesperson, “We take situations like this very seriously and are committed to providing safe and quality products to our customers. We have been fully cooperating with all regulatory agencies in the resolution of this matter and are in the process of remediating the issue.”