WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Hart Produce Co. Inc. satisfied a reparation order issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
The Hart, MI, company has met its obligations and is now free to operate in the produce industry, according to a USDA press release. Jerry A. Brandel 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, the USDA lifts the employment restrictions of the previously named, responsibly connected individuals. The 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, the USDA resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. Its experts also assisted more than 7,100 callers with issues valued at approximately $100 million. These are just two examples of how the USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
