WASHINGTON, DC - According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), New Start Produce Group has satisfied a reparation order in the amount of $33,214 issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) involving unpaid produce transactions.

The Dallas, Texas, company has met its obligations and is now free to operate in the produce industry. Carlos Chavez and Ruben Ayala were listed as the members of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.

Direct From the USDA Agricultural Market Service:

PACA provides an administrative forum to handle disputes involving produce transactions. This may result in USDA’s issuance of a reparation order that requires damages to be paid by those not meeting their contractual obligations in buying and selling fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. USDA is required to suspend the license or impose sanctions on an unlicensed business that fails to pay PACA reparations awarded against it, as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business when the order is issued. Those individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or major stockholders, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA approval.

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 also requires any unlicensed company that fully satisfies all unpaid reparation awards to obtain a license if it continues to operate in the industry.

For contact information and to read the release in its entirety, click here.

BOISE, ID - Albertsons Companies’ first quarter of fiscal 2024 has been decorated by successful strategies and sales lifts. The retail chain recently shared a look at its Q1 fiscal 2024—which ended June 15—in which it reported net income of $241 million for the quarter.

"In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, we continued to invest in our Customers for Life strategy and the digital and omnichannel capabilities necessary to support it," said Vivek Sankaran, Chief Executive Officer. "Our Customers for Life strategy is placing the customer at the center of everything we do, and we continued to drive strong year-over-year growth in loyalty members as we launched our new simplified 'for U' loyalty program. Amidst an evolving economic and industry backdrop, we continued to deliver outsized growth in our digital and pharmacy businesses."

Albertsons shared the following highlights from its financial report:

• Net income of $241 million, or $0.41 per share
• Identical sales increased 1.4 percent
• Digital sales increased 23 percent
• Loyalty members increased 15 percent to 41.4 million
• Adjusted net income of $392 million, or $0.66 per share
• Adjusted EBITDA of $1,184 million

The company’s net sales and other revenue reached $24.3 billion during the 16 weeks ended June 15, 2024, compared to $24.1 billion during the 16 weeks ended June 17, 2023, a press release stated.

"We want to thank our teams for their ongoing commitment to serving our customers and supporting our communities,” Sankaran continued. "As we look ahead to the balance of fiscal 2024, we expect to see continuing headwinds related to investments in associate wages and benefits, an increasing mix of our pharmacy and digital businesses which carry lower margins, and the cycling of prior year food inflation. We expect these headwinds to be partially offset by ongoing productivity initiatives."

To dive further into the retailer’s financial report, click here.

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