Feds seize food from business at old junior high

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Over 1,500 cases of food were seized by U.S. Marshals Tuesday from Mid-States Closeouts, the warehouse distribution center located at the old junior high school building in Ellsworth.

This information was announced Wednesday afternoon in a news release from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The products, both human and animal food, were seized under a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.

The release states that during a FDA inspection of Mid-States Closeouts conducted in November, the agency found widespread and active rodent infestation, numerous gnawed packages of human and animal food, rodent excreta pellets on, in, and around food packages and rodent nesting material. The facility also had structural defects permitting easy pest access to the entire facility, and rodent harborage areas near the warehouse.

"The violations at Mid-States Closeouts are widespread and significant," said Michael Chappell, the FDA's acting associate commissioner, Office of Regulatory Affairs. "The FDA took this action because the company failed to provide adequate safeguards to ensure that products they hold for sale remain free of contamination."

The release also mentions that the FDA has not received any reports of human or pet illness or death associated with consumption of food distributed by Mid-States Closeouts. The products were in permeable packages and held under conditions that could compromise the food's quality.

The U.S. Marshals were on hand Tuesday at the request of the FDA. Ellsworth police assisted the two agencies on site.

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