USDA files PACA complaints against California, Illinois companies
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed administrative complaints under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act against Huxtable’s Kitchen Inc. and against Olympic Wholesale Produce Inc.
Huxtables Kitchen Inc., a Vernon, Calif.-based food manufacturer and supplier which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in June 2016, allegedly failed to pay $551,829 to six produce sellers over the course of eight months, October 2015 through May 2016, according to a news release.
Olympic Wholesale Produce Inc., Chicago, allegedly failed to pay $898,725 to four produce sellers over six months, from December 2016 through May 2017, according to a news release.
The companies can request hearings, but if USDA rules either company to have violated PACA rules, it would be barred from the produce industry for two years, and its principals could not be employed by any PACA licensee for a year.