The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on multiple 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 (PACA). These sanctions include suspending the businesses' PACA licenses and barring the principal operators from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without USDA approval.
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The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:
- Bama Tomato Co., Inc. (Birmingham, Ala.) for failing to pay $45,250 to a Florida seller. As of the issuance date, Christopher Griffin was listed as officer/ director/major stockholder.
- Esau Alvarenga, doing business as J and E Produce (Los Angeles, Calif.) for failing to pay $15,120 to a Texas seller. As of the issuance date, Esau Alvarenga Perla was listed as sole proprietor.
- Price International Trading LLC (Doral, Fla.) for failing to pay $121,681 to a Texas seller. As of the issuance date, Ivan Delgado was listed as manager.
- J D B Market Corp., doing business as John's Market (Bronx, N.Y.) for failing to pay $42,180 to a New York seller. As of the issuance date, John D. Burdo was listed as officer/ director/major stockholder.
- New Nature Farm Supermarket, Inc. (Little Neck, N.Y.) for failing to pay $155,105 to a New York seller. As of the issuance date, Zhi Xin Hao was listed as officer/director/ major stockholder.
- JD Produce Maspeth LLC (Maspeth, N.Y.) for failing to pay $56,562 in favor of a Florida seller. As of the issuance date, Shengbo Dong was listed as the member/manager.
- Vivamex International Produce LLC (Hidalgo, Texas) for failing to pay $14,800 in favor of a California seller. As of the issuance date, Leonardo Guerra and Juan D. Hernandez were listed as managers/members.
- Ashley Marketplace and Café, Inc. (South Orange, N.J.) for failing to pay $20,796 to a New York seller. As of the issuance date, Cheol M. Kim was listed as officer/director/ major stockholder.
- Joe Granato, Inc. (Salt Lake City, Utah) for failing to pay $368,598 to a Minnesota seller. As of the issuance date, Michael McCarty and Michael Tangaro were listed as officers/directors and/or major stockholders.
- Aspen Market Place (Hoboken, N.J.) for failing to pay $21,878 to a New York seller. As of the issuance date, Cheol Kim was listed as officer/director and/or major stockholder.
- Bibis Produce LLC (New Hill, N.C.) for failing to pay $7,541 to a Minnesota seller. As of the issuance date, Bibien P. Fragozo was listed as manager/member.
- Bifulcos Pickle Works LLC (Staten Island, N.Y.) for failing to pay $32,270 to a New York seller. As of the issuance date, Douglas Bifulco was listed as member/manager.
- Champion Foods, Inc. (Jacksonville, Fla.) for failing to pay $34,082 to a Pennsylvania seller. As of the issuance date, Donna K. Buring was listed as officer/director/major stockholder.
- Jacobs Produce (Manteca, Calif.) for failing to pay $4,290 to a California seller. As of the issuance date, Hector Jacobo was listed as manager/member.
- JES Foods Celina, Inc. (Celina, Ohio) for failing to pay $113,585 to a Pennsylvania seller. As of the issuance date, Elaine R. Freed and William G. Freed were listed as officers/directors/major stockholders.
- JS Companies LLC (Fresno, Calif.) for failing to pay $126,727 to a California seller. As of the issuance date, Jenna Scarborough, Jayda Scarborough, and Julia Scarborough were listed as managers/members.
- Mann Trading Inc. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for failing to pay $97,500 to a Michigan seller. As of the issuance date, Soloman Evdaev was listed as officer/director and/or major stockholder.
- Moriah Produce, Inc. (San Diego, Calif.) for failing to pay $90,095 to a California seller. As of the issuance date, Sonia Gomez was listed as officer/director/major stockholder.
- Rancho Alegre Productos LLC (Auburn, Wash.) for failing to pay $12,290 to a Washington seller. As of the issuance date, Luis Javier Sanchez Galarza was listed as member/manager.
- Waldwick Food Store Inc. (Waldwick, N.J.) for failing to pay $99,253 to a New York seller. As of the issuance date, Joseph Abdallah was listed as officer/director/major stockholder.
- Wholesome Line LLC (Irvine, Calif.) for failing to pay $44,679 to a California seller. As of the issuance date, Mehrdad Haidari was listed as member/manager.
- FarmFresco Produce LLC (Lockhart, Texas) for failing to pay $23,720 to a Texas seller. As of the issuance date, Maria Luna was listed as the member/manager.
- Good Brew LLC, doing business as SoCo Ginger Beer (Austin, Texas) for failing to pay $9,612 to a California seller. As of the issuance date, Benjamin Weaver was listed as member/manager.
- Sun Wing Katy Supermarket, Inc. (Katy, Texas) for failing to pay $87,725 to a New York seller. As of the issuance date, Yue Sheng Liang and Rong Fu Haung were listed as officers/ directors/major stockholders.
- Sun Wing Bellaire Market LLC (Houston, Texas) for failing to pay $96,283 to a New York seller. As of the issuance date, Yue Sheng Liang and Rong Fu Haung were listed as members/managers.
- Everfresh Farms LLC, doing business as Everfresh Farms Produce (Fallston, Md.) for failing to pay $27,585 to a Pennsylvania seller. As of the issuance date, Angelo Toutsis and Emmanuel Toutsis were listed as members/managers.
- JDB Produce LLC (Forest Park, Ga.) for failing to pay $32,993 to a Florida seller. As of the issuance date, Jose Dorantes Bustamante was listed as member/manager.
- L Produce LLC (Detroit, Mich.) for failing to pay $44,544 to a Michigan seller. As of the issuance date, Sam Maniaci was listed as manager/member
USDA also announced that La Mera Buena Produce, Inc. (Saint Paul, Minn.) has satisfied a $44,629 reparation order resulting from unpaid produce transactions under PACA. The company has met its obligations and is now free to operate in the produce industry. Ramiro Hernandez Marquez was listed as officer/director/major stockholder and may now be employed by/affiliated with any PACA licensee.
Also, on March 18, 2025, USDA filed an administrative complaint alleging that National Fruit Product Co. Inc. (National Fruit Product) of Winchester, Va. failed to make full payment promptly for $353,349 to two sellers for multiple lots of produce purchased, received and accepted in interstate and foreign commerce, in violation of PACA.
USDA and National Fruit Product entered into a Consent Decision and Order in which National Fruit Product agreed to pay the unpaid produce sellers listed in the complaint and to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $15,000. National Fruit Product has satisfied the terms of the Consent Decision and Order, and the finding that it committed repeated and flagrant PACA violations has been permanently abated without further process. The case has been closed.
Click here for an overview of companies that previously violated PACA.
For more information
Penny Robinson-Landrigan (sanctions/reparation orders)
USDA
Tel: +1 (202) 720-2890
[email protected]
PACA Investigative Enforcement Branch (terms of consent)
Tel: +1 (202) 720-6873
[email protected]
https://www.ams.usda.gov/
