<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Washington, D.C.</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Eric Anderson<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">3.25.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The USDA has cited West Virginia-based Mister Bee Potato Chip Company for failure to pay for produce.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The company failed to pay $287,519 to two sellers for 52 lots of produce in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). Prime Tropical is prohibited from operating in the industry until March 16, 2015, at which time it may reapply for a PACA license.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Company principals, Alan L. Klein, Douglas S. Klein, Sally E. Klein and Andrew S. Klein, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until March 16, 2015 at which point the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond is required.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Individuals held responsible for PACA violations may not be employed or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA-approval.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Agricultural Marketing Service regulates fair trading practices of produce companies operating subject to PACA. The USDA is authorized to suspend or revoke a company’s license for violations.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 5,000 claims filed under the PACA involving $96 million. This is just one more way USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateA&navID=Home&topNav=Home&page=Home&acct=AMSPW" target="_new">Agricultural Marketing Service </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
