Family Dollar Fined $41.6M for Rodent-Infested Warehouse

The fine, the largest in U.S. food safety history, comes after the company distributed adulterated products from an Arkansas facility.

Family Dollar Stores, a subsidiary of Dollar Tree Inc., has been fined $41.6 million for maintaining insanitary conditions at a rodent-infested warehouse in West Memphis, Arkansas.
The fine is the largest-ever monetary criminal penalty in a U.S. food safety case, resulting from the distribution of adulterated FDA-regulated products to over 400 stores.
The company pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count and agreed to a plea deal that includes robust corporate compliance and reporting requirements for the next three years.
An FDA inspection revealed extensive rodent infestation, leading to the extermination of 1,270 rodents and a voluntary recall of products from affected stores.
Family Dollar plans to return operations to West Memphis with a fully reimagined and refreshed distribution center, expected to open by fall 2024.