The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that Golden Kingdom Produce Inc., Utopia Produce Inc. and Moceri Food & Beverage Inc. each satisfied a reparation order issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.

Los Angeles-based Golden Kingdom Produce has met its obligations and is now free to operate in the produce industry. San (Bruce) Oh was listed as the officer, director and major stockholder of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.

Glendale, NY-based Utopia Produce has met its obligations and is now free to operate in the produce industry.  Li Zhi Wang was listed as the officer, director and major stockholder of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.

San Diego-based Moceri Food & Beverage can operate in the produce industry upon applying for and being issued a PACA license.  Salvatore Moceri and Grace Moceri were listed as the officers, directors, and major stockholders of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.

PACA provides an administrative forum to handle disputes involving produce transactions; this may result in a reparation order being issued that requires damages to be paid by those not meeting their contractual obligations in buying and selling fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. 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.

Once a reparation order is fully satisfied and it is confirmed that there are not any outstanding unpaid awards, USDA lifts the employment restrictions of the previously named responsibly connected individuals.

In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,350 PACA claims involving more than $63 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $156 million.