Public Affairs
WASHINGTON, March 2, 2021 - In a complaint filed on March 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) alleged that Enson Group LLC, doing business as Eternal Food Service (Enson Group), Cincinnati, Ohio, failed to make full payment promptly in the total amount of $707,592 to 12 sellers for multiple lots of produce in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). In this case, Enson Group paid sellers for produce, but not promptly pursuant to the PACA.
After the complaint was filed, USDA and Enson Group entered into a Consent Decision and Order in which Enson Group agreed to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $6,500 for making untimely payments to sellers for produce purchases. As a result of Enson Group satisfying the terms of the consent decision and order, the finding that it had committed repeated and flagrant PACA violations was permanently abated without further process and the case has been closed.
For further information, contact Corey Elliott, Chief, Investigative Enforcement Branch, at (202) 720-6873 or PACAInvestigations@usda.gov.
The PACA Division, which is in the Fair Trade Practices Program in the Agricultural Marketing Service, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses that are operating subject to PACA, including buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry. In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,625 PACA claims involving more than $104 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 7,600 callers with issues valued at approximately $166 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry
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