WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2011 – The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) has found Samuel S. Petro responsibly connected to Kalil Fresh Marketing Inc., d/b/a Houston’s Finest Produce Co. (Kalil) in Houston, Texas. Kalil failed to pay 55 sellers totaling $1,617,014.93 for 645 lots of produce. This is in violation of the PACA.
As a result, Samuel S. Petro may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until May 16, 2013, and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.
Under PACA provisions, those individuals held responsibly connected to PACA violations, including sole proprietors, partners, members, officers, directors, and stockholders, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA-approval.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA Branch, regulates fair trading practices of produce companies operating subject to the PACA, which includes buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry. The USDA is authorized to suspend or revoke a company’s license for violations of the PACA. All oversight of actions related to the PACA are conducted by the AMS, an agency within the USDA.
In fiscal year 2010, USDA resolved approximately 2,000 claims filed under the PACA involving $30 million. This is just one more way the USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
For further information, contact Phyllis Hall, Chief, Investigative Enforcement Branch, at (202) 720-6873, by fax at (202) 720-8868, or by email at InvestigativeEnforcement@ams.usda.gov.
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