<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Washington D.C.-</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By ANUK Staff<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">1.25.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The USDA has filed an administrative action under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) against Isadore A. Rapasadi & Sons Inc., according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The New York-based company allegedly failed to pay three produce sellers a total of $282,938 from September 2011 through August 2012.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/unitedfresh-paca.jpg" alt="Images012513" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The company will have a chance to request a hearing. If the USDA finds that Rapasadi & Sons commited repeated and flagrant violations, it will be barred from the produce industry for two years and its principals will not be able to be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for one year, and not without the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA division, regulates the fair trading practices of produce companies operating under PACA, which establishes a code of good business conduct for the industry.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 5,000 claims filed under the PACA involving $96 million.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ " target="_new">AMS</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
