The record $41.7 million penalty levied against the Dollar Tree retail chain last week for a rodent infestation at its Arkansas warehouse serves as a chilling lesson for companies making or selling Food and Drug Administration-regulated products.

Lawyers say the criminal fine, the largest ever assessed by the Department of Justice in a food safety matter, underscores the need to continually assess processes and readiness of sites well ahead of a visit by FDA agents, who descended on the West Memphis, Arkansas, distribution center in 2022.