Massive Family Dollar Recall by FDA, AGT Singer Dies and More News

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Massive Family Dollar FDA recall on a wide variety of products leads to closure of 400 stores, America’s Got Talent singer dies, China is breeding giant pigs as heavy as polar bears, Majority of world wants single-use plastics banned.

Family Dollar recalls a wide range of products, shuts down over 400 stores after rat infestation

After a consumer alerted the FDA, the agency discovered a rat infestation and decaying, dead rodents at an Arkansas distribution center; Family Dollar has temporarily closed over 400 stores in six states.

The FDA also discovered dead birds and bird droppings, along with over 1,10 dead rodents, the Washington Post reported. The FDA said internal records showed “a history of infestation” at the Arkansas facility with more than 2300 rodents collected in less than six months and 2021.

The company has also issued a recall on a wide range of products sold at its stores throughout the southern United States.

Family Dollar, owned by Dollar Tree, issued a recall on Food and Drug Administration-regulated products (FDA). It includes food, pet food, medicine, and cosmetics sold between January 2021 and February 2022 in Family Dollar stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.

‘America’s Got Talent’s Jane ‘Nightbirde’ Marczewski loses cancer battle

Jane “Nightbirde” Marczewski, a singer from America’s Got Talent, has died at the age of 31 following a courageous public battle with cancer, the New York Post reported. Marczewski passed away on Sunday while undergoing treatment for cancer that had metastasized to her lungs, spine, and liver.

Marczewski, an Ohio native, was an early favorite to win the competition but withdrew in August amid her battle with the disease.

China is breeding giant pigs as heavy as polar bears

Deep in the southern region of China, farmers are breeding pigs so large that they weigh as much as a polar bear. The average weight of a pig at slaughter is about 276 pounds. Farmers are now breeding pigs weighing 1,102 pounds. The incentive for farmers to grow the oversized pigs is twofold. First, they can sell for around $1,399 at slaughter, an amount triple the average monthly income of people in the region, Bloomberg reported. Secondly, China is suffering a shortage of pork and is the world’s largest consumer of pig meat. The idea now is that bigger is better.

75% of people want single-use plastics banned, worldwide survey finds

Three in four people across the globe want single-use plastics to be banned as soon as possible, according to an IPSOS poll of over 20,000 people across 28 countries, released this week, Reuters reported.

The poll comes as the United Nations prepares to begin talks on a global treaty to clamp down on soaring plastic pollution.