The habit of not paying for the fruits and vegetables they ordered finally got two Miami guys and their North Miami-Dade food distribution company kicked out of the produce business this week.
Tuesday’s USDA announcement stated American Fruit & Produce Corp. stiffed 18 sellers to the tune of $1,034,745 for produce bought from March 2018 through October 2022. This flagrantly violates the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), a 1930 law requested by the produce industry to ensure fair trade.
American Fruit’s PACA license is revoked, putting it out of the produce business until at least Sept. 6, 2026. Company president Hugo Acosta Jr. and David Acosta can’t work for or be associated with a PACA-licensed produce company until Sept. 6, 2025 and, after that, can only do so after posting a surety bond…