Man Arrested for Poisoning Foods at Grocery Stores

By Staff Writer | May 06, 2016 06:52 AM EDT

A man was arrested by the FBI accused of contaminating foods at Whole Foods and other grocery stores. The man sprayed a mixture of hand cleaner, water and Tomcat mouse poison on produce and prepared food bars at grocery stores including Meijer and Plum Market.

Authorities also noted that the suspect visited several other stores in the past months such as Target, Wal-Mart and Kroger and they are trying to find out if the produce at those stores are contaminated as well, the Business Insider reports.

"Investigators are currently coordinating with state of Michigan and Washtenaw County Health Officials to determine the extent of any contamination and the threat to the public," the FBI's Detroit team wrote in a statement. "

After the incident, a Whole Foods spokesperson said that all salad and ho t food bars were quickly closed down where all food were disposed and sanitized all of the food stations including equipment and serving utensils before putting fresh items, according to the Fortune report.

The FBI stated that the matter is still being investigated and checks if other nearby stores have been visited and contaminated by the suspect. It is still uncertain why the suspect did that at the stores.  Samples of the mixture have been sent for further analysis according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Mail Online reported.

'Although most of these types of foods may have already been eaten or disposed of, some may still be in refrigerators or freezers.'

According to the FBI, the affected stores located in Ann Arbor include Whole Foods Market at 990 West Eisenhower Parkway, Meijer at 3145 Ann Arbor-Saline Road and Plum Market at 375 North Maple Road.

The suspect is still under investigation regarding his motives and his name is not yet released to the public.  

More Sections