Sam's Club disputes mice infestation fine

ATLANTA - The state Agriculture Department is seeking to fine Sam&#39;s Club $566,000 for a mice infestation at a northeast Atlanta store - the highest it has ever sought to impose for food sanitation violations. <br> <br> All but $80,000 of the fine would be suspended if the warehouse club stays clean for the next five years. <br> <br> Sam&#39;s Club has not agreed to the fine or the probationary period. A conference before an Agriculture Department settlement officer is scheduled for Thursday. <br> <br> The Agriculture Department closed the non-refrigerated foods section of the Sam&#39;s Club earlier this month, after inspectors responding to customer complaints discovered rodent-gnawed food products, mice nests and droppings behind pallets. Sam&#39;s Club threw away 566 food items. <br> <br> ``We feel we have taken this very seriously,&#39;&#39; said Tom Williams, spokesman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which owns Sam&#39;s Club. ``We responded very quickly, we came into compliance very quickly. We feel this was an isolated incident.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The state can assess fines of up to $1,000 for each contaminated food product. Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said that in seeking $80,000 and a five-year probation, he wants to reflect consumer concern about contaminated food.