The USDA has imposed sanctions on four produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.
These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA, according to a news release.
The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry, the release said:
- Golden Hills Foods Corp., operating out of Bogalusa, La., for failing to pay a $22,584 award in favor of an Arizona seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Veronica Perez was listed as the sole officer, director and stockholder of the business.
- Assured Edge Solutions LLC, operating out of Geneva, N.Y., for failing to pay a $22,904 award in favor of a Maryland seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Daniel Rao was listed as the sole member of the business.
- Jack Humphreys doing business as Zia Onion Sales, operating out of Desoto, Texas, for failing to pay a $8,457 award in favor of a Texas seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Jack Humphreys was listed as the sole proprietor of the business.
- Fresh Central Trading LLC, operating out of Pharr, Texas, for failing to pay a $4,268 award in favor of a Pennsylvania seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Edgar Garcia Lanuza was listed as the sole member of the business.
By issuing these penalties, USDA said it continues to enforce the prompt and full payment for produce while protecting the rights of sellers and buyers in the marketplace.
For more information, contact Penny Robinson-Landrigan, chief of the dispute resolution branch, at 202-720-2890 or PACAdispute@usda.gov.
