> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Consent decree bans distributor from operating because of rodent infestation, other filth - URL: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2026/09/consent-decree-bans-distributor-from-operating-because-of-rodent-infestation-other-filth/ - Published: 2026-09-24T04:03:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-24T04:03:45.000Z - Author: Coral Beach - Tags: Food Policy & Law, consent decree, Gold Star Distribution Inc., rodent infestation, Department of Justice A consent decree filed in a federal court in Minnesota bars Gold Star Distribution Inc. from distributing food because of persistent insanitary conditions. The company had been distributing products including food from a facility that the Food and Drug Administration determined to have persistent and severe rodent and pest infestations that put products at potential contamination with filth. The consent decree bans the company and its owner, Bassam Abu Samrah, from operating in the food industry until the FDA finds the problems have been resolved. “Consumers trust that the products they purchase — whether food, medicine, or everyday household items — have been stored safely and are free from contamination,” said Elizabeth Miller, FDA associate commissioner for inspections and investigations. “When a company repeatedly ignores serious, ongoing violations that put trust at risk, the FDA will act. This consent decree makes clear that persistent failure to maintain basic sanitary conditions is unacceptable and will have consequences.” In addition to food, the company distributed drugs and medical devices, which were also contaminated. In 2025, the FDA and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), in collaboration with other state regulatory partners including the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, investigated and found the persistent insanitary conditions at Gold Star’s warehouse facility in Minneapolis. Prior to the 2025 inspection, the FDA inspected the Gold Star facility on five separate occasions. The MDA inspected the facility on 26 separate occasions between 2013 and 2025\. FDA’s prior inspections, and many MDA inspections, cited insanitary conditions associated with rodents, including observations of live and dead rodents, gnaw marks, package damage, rodent excrement, and nesting materials throughout the facility. The FDA and MDA took several regulatory and compliance actions during this time to protect consumers. In November and December 2025, the FDA conducted a follow-up inspection and observed continuing insanitary conditions, including nine live rodents, 17 dead rodents in various states of decay, eight live birds, one dead bird, and five live worms throughout the facility, as well as numerous rodent excreta pellets, urine stains, gnaw holes, and nesting materials in and around pallets of FDA-regulated products, including rice, cat food, drugs, sanitary pads, and cosmetics. The FDA’s laboratory analyses confirmed the presence of rodent urine, urea, excreta, hairs, and gnaw holes in product packaging. In addition to the rodent and bird problems, the FDA observed leaking and overflowing refuse near outgoing shipments of FDA-regulated products; gaps and holes in the facility’s infrastructure; ceiling leaks dripping onto stored products; and trash buildup outside the facility door and refuse container. In November 2025, the MDA twice issued a notice of embargo and cease and desist order covering all food products and operations. The MDA also revoked the defendants’ food wholesale license. In December 2025, the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy issued a cease and desist order against the defendants for warehousing and distributing over-the-counter drugs without a required pharmacy license and administratively detained the over-the-counter drugs held at the facility. Following the FDA’s 2025 inspection, Gold Star voluntarily recalled certain FDA-regulated products that may have been contaminated with filth. The consent decree requires the defendants to retain an independent expert to develop and implement FDA-approved sanitation control and drug storage plans; eliminate all pests and filth from the facility; complete facility renovations to prevent future pest entry; destroy all FDA-regulated products in their possession under FDA supervision; and undergo comprehensive inspections by an independent expert, an independent pest control company, and the FDA, as it deems necessary, before they may resume operations. Defendants must receive written notification from the FDA that they appear to be in compliance before resuming operations.