EPA fines Hy-Vee $5K for selling a prohibited pesticide product

Iowa-based grocery store chain Hy-Vee has agreed to pay a $5,374 civil penalty for continuing to sell a prohibited pesticide product that could have been dangerous to consumers.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2020 determined Outlaw Germ Justice Disinfectant Wipes, distributed by MJB Worldwide, were not registered with the EPA and asked MJB to issue a recall, according to an EPA news release Tuesday.

The product’s label described concentrations of chemicals that could cause severe eye and skin irritation if used improperly, the EPA reported.

The wipes were sold at 27 Hy-Vee stores in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Minnesota.

In January 2021, the EPA issued Stop Sale, Use, or Removal Orders to both MJB and Hy-Vee, which prohibited all distribution and sales of Outlaw wipes and required the companies to sequester any remaining wipes.

After the issuance of the order, however, Hy-Vee disposed of some of the product without notifying or seeking approval from EPA, the agency reported. An EPA inspector also discovered the wipes still were for sale at a Hy-Vee store in Overland Park, Kansas.

MJB settled a separate enforcement case with EPA for its production and sale of the unlawful product and is no longer an actively registered business, the EPA reported.

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