Grocery chain Family Dollar said it would voluntarily recall nearly 300 over-the-counter medications and medical devices sold in nearly two dozen states, according to a company announcement released Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration.
The items, which included cold medicine, painkillers, lip balm, toothpaste and mouthwash, were stored outside specified temperature requirements and were accidentally shipped to stores earlier this year, the agency said.
The products were sold between June 1st and October 4th.
“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 affected stores and asked them to immediately stop selling all affected products. Customers who purchased any of the recalled items can return them to the point of purchase without a receipt and receive a refund, the company said.
The announcement came after a similar incident in the spring, when the company voluntarily recalled seven Advil products after also saying they were stored outside stated temperature requirements.
Family Dollar is a brand of parent company Dollar Tree, a fast-growing retail chain that operates more than 16,000 stores in the United States and Canada. Like other retailers, Dollar Tree has struggled with various supply chain issues during the pandemic.
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 triggered a widespread recall of foods, supplements, cosmetics and other products.
At the time, Judith McMeekin, deputy commissioner in the FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs, said families rely on stores like Family Dollar for groceries, medications and other products and expect those items to be safe.