WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited ABL Farms Inc., operating out of Atlanta, Georgia, for failure to pay for produce.

According to a USDA press release, the company failed to pay a total of $2,600,701 to 18 sellers for 413 lots of produce, which it purchased, received, and accepted in interstate and foreign commerce from May 2015 to September 2015. This is in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). As a result of these actions, ABL Farms Inc. cannot operate in the produce industry until April 27, 2019, at which time it may reapply for a PACA license.

The company’s principal, Aaron B. Letsinger, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until April 27, 2018, and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.

In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,500 PACA claims involving more than $58 million. Its experts also assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $140 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service