Family Dollar Stores, a subsidiary of Dollar Tree Inc., pleaded guilty Monday to holding food, drugs, cosmetics and other items at a now-closed, rodent-infested distribution center in West Memphis, Arkansas, according to federal prosecutors.
The company entered into a plea deal including a sentence of a fine and forfeiture amount totaling nearly -42-million, the largest-ever monetary criminal penalty in a food safety case, the department said.
The plea agreement also requires Family Dollar and Dollar Tree to meet robust corporate compliance and reporting requirements for the next three years, the DOJ said.
The company admitted its Arkansas distribution center shipped FDA-regulated products to more than 400 Family Dollar stores in Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee.
