The value-store chain Family Dollar said that it would voluntarily recall nearly 300 over-the-counter drugs and medical devices that were sold in nearly two dozen states, according to a company announcement published by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday.
The items, which included cold medicine, pain relievers, lip balm, toothpaste and mouthwash, were stored outside of labeled temperature requirements and inadvertently shipped to stores earlier this year, the agency said.
The products were sold between June 1 and Oct. 4.
“To date, Family Dollar has not received any consumer complaints or reports of illness related to this voluntary recall,” the company said in the statement, adding, “This recall is being conducted out of an abundance of caution.”
Family Dollar notified the affected stores, it said, and asked them to discontinue the sale of any affected products immediately. Customers who purchased any of the recalled items can return them to the purchase location without a receipt for a refund, the company said.
The announcement comes after a similar episode in the spring, when the company voluntarily recalled seven Advil products after also saying they were stored outside of labeled temperature requirements.
Family Dollar is a brand under its parent company, Dollar Tree, a rapidly growing retail chain that operates more than 16,000 stores across the United States and Canada. Like other retailers during the pandemic, Dollar Tree has struggled with various supply-chain issues.
Last year, the Family Dollar chain temporarily closed more than 400 stores in six states after the discovery of a rodent infestation and other unsanitary conditions at a distribution center in Arkansas sparked a far-reaching recall of food, dietary supplements, cosmetics and other products.
At the time, Judith McMeekin, an associate commissioner in the Office of Regulatory Affairs at the F.D.A., said that families rely on stores like Family Dollar for food, medicine and other products, and they expect those items to be safe.
Lauren McCarthy
Source link
