The FDA has seized food and medical products that were held under insanitary conditions at J and L Grocery warehouse in Alma, Arkansas. The U.S. Marshals Service conducted the seizure. The insanitary conditions included widespread rodent, insect, and live animal infestation.
The seizure took place on November 7 and 8, 2018. The company receives and salvages products through the salvage market. The products seized included human and animal food products, over-the-country drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices. Some of the OTC drug products were outside their stated expiration dates.
Comissioner of the FDA, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, said, “The widespread insanitary conditions found at J and L Grocery is alarming and won’t be tolerated. At this time, we’re unaware of adverse events associated with the use of products purchased at J and L Grocery. The work of our field force and the goals of our vigorous oversight efforts are to find these kinds of potential hazards and intervene before consumers are harmed. We’re committed to that mission. Our consumer protection role is the bedrock of the FDA’s culture. We’ll continue to take action against adulterated products as necessary to protect the public health and the safety of Americans.”
FDA inspections of the warehouse in September and October 2018 found multiple live and dead rodents, rodent nesting, live raccoons, live cats, a dead possum, animal feces, and urine-stained products. The company has seven warehouses and sheds.
Two Administrative Detention orders were issued at J and L Grocery dated October 9 and 19, 2018. The orders called for the detention of all human and animal food products in plastic, paper, or cardboard packaging. FDA can detain food and drug products if the agency thinks the products are adulterated or misbranded.
There was no mention of any recall of the products this facility has handled. FDA can keep detained products out of the marketplace for up to 30 days.
