Ohio Department of Agriculture discovers mislabeled pesticide product on store shelves
(Submitted photo)
The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) Pesticide Enforcement program is in the process of removing a pesticide product from store shelves in Ohio after receiving a consumer complaint.
The product has been distributed as "Sergeant's Nature's Guardian, Flea and Tick Control, squeeze on for Cats and Kittens" and found in Dollar Tree stores across the state.
These boxes are labeled with active ingredients of lemongrass, clove and peppermint oils and are registered as a minimum risk pesticide product. In May, ODA inspectors collected samples for testing. Recent lab results show the product was contaminated with traditional flea and tick pesticide ingredients: Imidichloprid and Methoprene. Products containing these ingredients have specific instructions on their use, which these misbranded boxes do not include.
ODA is pulling registration for the product labeled as "Sergeant's Nature's Guardian, Flea and Tick Control, squeeze on for Cats and Kittens" and encouraging the public to be aware of the issue.
ODA notified the U.S. EPA and is issuing an order to hold any remaining inventory of this product sold at any Dollar Tree stores. The Pesticide Enforcement program is continuing efforts to communicate with Dollar Tree Headquarters, requesting the product be removed from stores in Ohio.
Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.