WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on two produce businesses for failure to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

According to a recent USDA release, the following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:

• Kajun Kettle Foods Inc., operating out of New Orleans, LA, for failing to pay a $27,836 award in favor of a Washington seller.  As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Monica Davidson and Pierre Hilzim were listed as the officers, directors and/or major stockholders of the business.
• Stay Fresh Distributors Inc., operating out of Brooksville, FL, for failing to pay an $8,636 award in favor of a Washington seller.  As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Jason A. Canals was listed as the officer, director and major stockholder of the business.

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.

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

SOLEDAD, CA – Giving consumers more reason to visit the fresh produce aisle for organic products and a love for greens, Braga Fresh has launched six new baby greens and salad blends under its premium Josie’s Organics line.

"Our Josie’s Organics baby greens and salad blends offer convenience and versatility for consumers who prefer to buy organic," said Nicholas DaCosta, President of Braga Fresh Foods. "Being a grower-owned company with a large organic land base and state-of-the-art processing facility, Braga Fresh is able to continually develop innovative items to meet the increasing consumer demand for organics." 

According to a press release, the company has recently introduced the following six new washed and ready-to-enjoy blends under the Josie’s Organics brand:

• Baby Arugula
• Baby Kale
• Baby Spinach
• Spring Mix
• Half & Half
• Power Greens: mix of organic baby spinach, baby kale, green and red chard, and shredded carrots
  

Each selection is available in 5 oz clamshells to answer consumer demand for convenience. The Organic Baby Spinach and Spring Mix offerings are also available 16 oz clamshells for the perfect family sizing. 

"With organics driving the market and our chopped salads performing very well, we look forward to continuing success with our new organic baby greens and salad blends," DaCosta added. "Our goal is to support our retail partners by providing convenient, flavorful and quality fresh vegetables and salads 52 weeks a year."

These products come soon after the company’s launch of its Josie’s Organics chopped salad kits line. Each kit contains the organic toppings and dressings consumer’s crave for tasty convenience, and packaged in the brand’s blue polka dot packaging for eye-catching appeal. The salad kits have already gained wide distribution. 

Got a need for more Josie’s Organics? Stay tuned for several product introductions in the coming months from Braga Fresh as the company continuously develops new organic and conventional products.

The Josie’s Organics baby greens and salad blends are available now for distribution. Contact [email protected] or call 831-678-3835 for more information.

Braga Fresh

SACRAMENTO, CA - Wacky, spooky, or downright scary, we want to see what the people of our industry are doing to celebrate Halloween.

Whether it is your favorite photo from the past weekend’s festivities, you’re taking the family out on the town tonight for some trick-or-treating, or even a favorite photo from Halloweens’ past, we look to celebrate the names and faces of produce as they morph for the holiday.

Post your pictures on Instagram with the #ANUKHalloween hashtag to have your memorable moments featured as part of our Yearbook this week, or send us your Halloween-themed photos by emailing us directly at [email protected].

Keep checking in with AndNowUKnow as we showcase not just the facts, but the fun as well of being a part of the fresh produce industry. Happy Halloween!

CALIFORNIA - I have been boarding for almost 20 years, and in recent years it has been rare that we see snow pre-Thanksgiving. Most fall holidays it is avoiding rocks, traversing the dry patches, making sure to grind or strip my board—but this year California has been blessed over a foot of snow before we even hit Halloween. 

“We’re expecting six to 12 inches of snow around the passes, which is quite a bit, and it’s an early-season storm, so it might catch a lot of people off-guard,” explained Travis Wilson, Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

Sunday saw the accumulating snow affecting both Highway 50 and Interstate 80, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Winter Storm Warning until 11 PM, KCRA 3 News. CalTrans also had their work cut out for them as we head into ski season. Several crashes on I-80 on Donner Summit in Placer County closed lanes in both directions from Kingvale Road to Donner Lake Road for a few hours, according to the California Highway Patrol, putting chain controls in effect. 

This weekend’s snowfall is a great jump-start for the Sierra snowpack, Wilson says, one of the  crucial factor in easing the state’s pervasive drought. According to the LA Times, the northern Sierra region is currently at 360 percent of average for precipitation levels. 

While the snowfall totals from over the weekend are still being counted, forecasters predicted accumulations of up to 10 inches above 6,000 feet, with more than a foot at the mountain peaks. 

And what about for Halloween night? KCRA 3’s Futurecast shows the potential for more rain Monday evening as many hope to go trick-or-treating. The source says that Monday could see about 1/4 inch of rain possibly starting about 5 PM.

Either way, this recent influx of snow is great news for snow lovers and California ag alike, and if this weekend was any indication of what the rest of the season will look like, strap on your snowboards and get ready for a wet and wild winter.

YAKIMA, WA - Something wicked came into the orchards of Domex Superfresh Growers as it releases its latest Orchard Update, featuring Chief Horticulturist Dave Gleason.

“One of the projects we are proud of is how much we use integrated pest management (IPM) in managing our orchards and keeping our fruit clean,” describes Gleason of the soft approach IPM is a soft approach to pest management, including the use of good bugs such as spiders, to fight off pests."

And, strangely, some of the helpful spiders seem to have reached impressive sizes in Domex’s orchards. “Spiders are a great benefit to our orchards; they eat the pests that feast on our apples. It is exciting to have their help in our orchard!” Gleason commented in the video, with his own friendly spider in the frame.

Gleason also introduces a new face to Domex’s Orchard Update team: Farm Special Operations Flor Maldonado.

Maldonado explained that another project Superfresh Growers has in the works is increasing the use of platforms, explaining, “Platforms increase efficiency and worker safety. We are starting to plan for the future and are looking at the layout of the trees.”

A method the company is using to increase the use of platforms is installing trellis systems and planting high-density orchards. “In the future, we will fully do away with the use of ladders in the fields and fully utilize platforms, which helps us with thinning, pruning, tree training, and picking,” Maldonado concluded.

To learn more about the developments in the orchard over the October month, watch the full video above.

Domex Superfresh Growers

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed an administrative complaint under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) against ABL Farms Inc.

According to a USDA press release, the company, operating from Georgia, allegedly failed to make payment to 18 produce sellers in the amount of $2,600,701 from May 2015 through September, 2015.

ABL Farms Inc. will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should the USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry for two years. Furthermore, its principal could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for one year and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA Division, regulates fair trading practices of produce companies operating subject to PACA, which includes buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry. All oversight of actions related to PACA are conducted by AMS, an agency within the USDA. PACA establishes a code of good business conduct for the produce industry. Under it, all interstate traders in fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables must be licensed by the USDA. The USDA is authorized to suspend or revoke a trader’s license for violating the act.

In the past three years, the 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 the USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service

MEDIA, PA ­- Looking to harness faster precooling results, longer shelf-life, and increased savings, Global Cooling Inc. has announced a new version of its Jet-Ready Precoolers. The company has unveiled a portable forced air Jet Ready Precooler. 

“The necessity of quality precooling is often overlooked,” said Global Cooling Founder and President, Jim Still. “The Jet Precooler addresses that head on with unmatched efficiency.”

The new Jet Precooler is a forced air cooling tunnel which provides its users with greater air flow and shorter precooling times than a farm-built cooler. The company stated in a press release that the faster a user precools the more net weight is saved.

The Jet-Ready also boasts the new and improved features:  

• Carboline coating
• NSF-approved for potable water
• Dial thermometer

Global Cooling also stated that further positive results can be garnered from faster precooling such as prolonged shelf-life, greater weight, and user savings in regards to time, energy, and money.

“You literally just plug it in and you’re good to go,” said Cameron White, Sales at Fresh Start Produce, who uses Jets to precool bell peppers and cucumbers in Florida.

Global Cooling stated that it helps its customers transition from old precoolers they’ve been using for many years to a new Jet which can help growers and packers cool product twice as fast as legacy units.

Pairing greater airflow with greater flexibility, Jets are added to existing cooling systems which can then be transferred with ease to different locations. Units arrive preassembled, fully-wired, tested, and ready to use.

The company stated that its Jet units are also suited for heating, reheating, thawing, tempering, and drying. 

“Stop letting your profits evaporate,” finished Still. “Start precooling faster with a Jet Precooler.”

Global Cooling offers its customers even further precooling options with its full line of products, including the Jet-Ready, Jet-Heavy Duty, and Jet-Ripe portable precoolers. The company also has Rapid-Cool 2 and 3-tier high pallet racked precoolers, as well. All products are manufactured in the company’s factory at the Philadelphia Navy Yard Business Park.

For more information, email [email protected] or call 1-844-858-4621.

Global Cooling Inc.

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Monarch Fresh Produce LLC satisfied a reparation order issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

According to a USDA press release, the Pharr, Texas-based company can continue operating in the produce industry upon applying for and being issued a PACA license. Jason N. Stros, who was listed as a member of the business, may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.

As we had previously reported, Monarch Fresh Produce recieved sanctions for allegedly failing to pay a $6,574 award in favor of an Illinois seller.

USDA is required to impose sanctions on a 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.

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.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service

MEXICO - Want an update on the Mexican cantaloupe and watermelon season in just 60 seconds? In this short new video from Mas Melons and Grapes, President Miguel A. Suarez takes us on a tour of the company’s operations in Caborca and Hermosillo, and shows an inside look from field to facility.

“Honeydews are off to a great start this season,” the video’s narrator says as Miguel inspects the Caborca melons firsthand. “Crops are looking very healthy this season—no damage from the nearby hurricane in early September.”

After a quick look at the company’s sorting facility, the viewer is then whisked away to Hermosillo, where Miguel is ready to check out the company’s watermelon operation, just planted in the first week of October.

What else did Miguel have to show us as we look towards this winter season and beyond? Watch Mas Melon’s 60 second video above for even more details on the company’s latest happenings.

Mas Melons and Grapes