WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited Phoenix Produce Company, based in Chicago, Illinois, for failure to pay for produce.
According to a USDA press release, the company violated the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) when it failed to pay $987,843 to 17 sellers for 405 lots of produce. As a result, Phoenix Produce Company cannot operate in the produce industry until June 16, 2017, at which time it may reapply for a PACA license.
The company’s principals, Jason L. Cyscon and John A. Cyscon III, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until June 16, 2016, according to the release, and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 4,250 PACA claims involving more than $77 million. Its experts also assisted more than 7,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $110 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
