More than 400 Family Dollar stores are shut down after FDA discovers a THOUSAND dead rodents at Arkansas distribution center: Video emerges of worker feeding one a Pringle
- Over 400 Family Dollar stores have been closed after the FDA discovered more than a thousand dead rats and birds at a Arkansas distribution center
- FDA inspectors made that discovery after Robert Bradford, who worked at the West Memphis distribution center, sent video of the infestation to WREG
- More than 400 Family Dollar stores have since been temporarily closed
- Video taken shows rats fighting together on the warehouse floor, rodents scurrying up and down the aisles, and a dead rat that had been caught in a trap
- The infestation has been an issue going back to at least 2014, when a downtown Memphis Family Dollar store was shut down for smelling like ‘dead rats’
- And in 2019, a health inspection report noted rodent droppings on store shelves at a Hickory Hill Family Dollar store, causing that location to close
Over 400 Family Dollar stores have been closed after the FDA discovered more than a thousand dead rats and birds at a Arkansas distribution center following video of an employee offering food to a rat.
Warehouse worker Robert Bradford says he was fired from West Memphis distribution center, Arkansas, after he shared footage last month of rats fighting together on the warehouse floor, scurrying up and down the aisles, and a dead rat that had been caught in a trap.
Bradford’s clip also showed an unidentified coworker trying to feed one of the rats a Pringle with his own bare hands.
‘It’s 61 aisles in the warehouse, you’re going to see them from aisles one to 61,’ Bradford told local news outlet WREG. ‘They be running around, they be on the floor inside the boxes.’
The video caught the attention of the Food and Drug Administration who launched an investigation and closed down more than 400 stores temporarily.
Scroll down for video
A live rodent spotted inside the Family Dollar West Memphis distribution center
The FDA discovered more than a thousand dead rats and birds at a Arkansas distribution center after a former warehouse worker shared a video of someone offering food to a rat
Pictured: video taken from the West Memphis distribution center shows two rats fighting along the warehouse floor
Pictured: a dead rat caught in a trap at the West Memphis Family Dollar distribution center
The agency reported that it found live and dead rodents, many in various states of decay, along with dead birds after conducting an inspection of the warehouse.
Inspectors believe products kept at the facility were contaminated by the infestation, and have warned customers to throw away any recent Family Dollar purchases.
Among the products that have been flagged were cosmetics, food items and over-the-counter medications.
The infestation has been an issue going back to at least 2014, when a downtown Memphis Family Dollar store was shut down for smelling like ‘dead rats.’
And in 2019, a health inspection report noted rodent droppings on store shelves at a Hickory Hill Family Dollar store, causing that location to close.
Pictured: a large, dead rat caught at the Family Dollar warehouse
The Family Dollar logo is centered above one of its variety stores in Canton, Mississippi
Family Dollar has since initiated a voluntary recall on certain products from the distribution facility following news of the most recent warehouse infestation.
The company claims all affected stores have been notified and temporarily closed, with employees having been asked to quarantine as the issue is sorted out by the FDA.
‘We take situations like this very seriously and are committed to providing safe and quality products to our customers,’ a spokesperson with Family Dollar told WREG.
‘We have been fully cooperating with all regulatory agencies in the resolution of this matter and are in the process of remediating the issue.
Advertisement
