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The raid followed a visit to the Won Feng Trading Co. warehouse in Nashville by U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors, who found live and dead rodents, rat feces, and live birds among rice, fresh produce and frozen food, The Tennessean reported Thursday.

"These seizures are very rare", FDA spokesman Tom Gasparoli said.

More than $1 million worth of food products was confiscated, the newspaper said.

The federal government raided only two businesses nationwide over food sanitation issues between October 2008 and September 2009, the newspaper reported. Where food is seized due to filth, but not bacteria, it is usually the duty of the company to inform customers, Gasparoli said.

It wasn't clear whether Won Feng had notified its restaurant clients of the problems, the newspaper said. Inspections of Won Feng Trading Co. have disclosed problems dating back to 2007, the report said.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture in October said it found rodent activity and instructed Won Feng to destroy some products immediately. The inspection led to the federal seizure.

The federal penalties would be tougher than state sanctions against the company, state agricultural department spokesman Tom Womack said.

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