Rodents in prison food
U.S. Marshals, acting under a court order sought by the Food and Drug Administration, on Thursday seized packaged food products from a rodent-infested warehouse in Athens, Ga.
The products, including crackers, cookies and potato chips, were intended for sale to jails and prisons throughout the southeastern United States.
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia issued a warrant for the seizure of all of the food in the warehouse from Mid-States Services Inc., that the FDA and the Georgia Department of Agriculture determined to be susceptible to contamination by rodents. The food was valued at $859,000.
The two agencies investigated the Mid-States Services facility from July 14 to July 21, and found 'widespread active rodent infestation both inside and outside the facility,' according to the government's complaint.