Bulk spices seized at Miami warehouse due to “widespread rodent infestation”
More than 25,000 boxes and bags of bulk spices and food additives stored in a Miami warehouse were seized by federal agents on Friday due to widespread “insanitary conditions,” reports CNN. The mass seizure was the result of a complaint filed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which alleges that a June inspection of the Miami-based spice wholesaler Lyden Spice Corporation found evidence of rodent feces, bird droppings, and dead and living insects in and around boxes of food products, including monosodium glutamate (popularly known as MSG), crushed red chili, and sesame seeds. The FDA is requesting that the products be condemned and forfeited to the United States. Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said in a statement that the “conditions found at the Lyden Spice Corporation are disturbing and won’t be tolerated.”
