Oh, what a difference a year can make. When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the United States last spring, causing the country to go into a nation-wide lock-down, the hope was that stay-at-home orders would be short-lived.

The vast majority of people began working from home; companies quickly had to learn to adapt and restructure their business models; kids were learning virtually instead of in person; families were spending more time than ever together; and parents, especially, were forced to take on multiple roles as caregivers, employees and even teachers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on five produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:

The 2021 Georgia peach season anticipates a full, consistent, healthy crop due to the lengthy, cold winter the country has been experiencing.  Peach-growing areas of Georgia have logged over 1,000 chill hours, more than 300 hours above the average of 700 hours annually. This year’s cold weather has provided the foundation for uniform blooms in all varieties throughout Georgia peach season, anticipated to kick off in mid-May and last through mid-August.

GRAPEVINE, TX — What a 12-month period in Texas! The Viva Fresh Expo, March 26-27, gave Texas’ produce industry a chance to exhale after taking a beating for what seemed a very long time.

In March 2020, of course, The Lone Star State joined the rest of the world in suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The fifth annual Viva Fresh Expo was canceled for 2020.

The Texas International Association announced a new partnership with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley at last week’s Viva Fresh Expo’s keynote luncheon. Food Bank RGV’s Viva Fresh Produce Pledge, “A Gift from Farms to Families” is a new program that will serve as a year-round collection effort of fresh produce donations to help food insecure communities in Texas.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on Imperial Frozen Foods Op Co LLC in Wake Forest, NC, for violating the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. These sanctions include barring the business and the principal operator of the business from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.