USDA Lifts PACA Reparation Sanctions on Florida Produce Business
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Stay Fresh Distributors Inc. satisfied a reparation order issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
According to a recent USDA press release, the Brooksville, FL, company has met its obligations and is now free to operate in the produce industry. Jason A. Canals was listed as the officer, director, and major stockholder of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.
Once a reparation order is fully satisfied and it is confirmed that there are not any outstanding unpaid awards, USDA lifts the employment restrictions of the previously named responsibly connected individuals. USDA will only reinstate the license of a business to an active status if all reparation awards are satisfied and if the license is not terminated.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,500 PACA claims involving more than $58 million. Its experts also assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $140 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
