The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on three 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 from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without USDA approval.

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

• ARG Global Trade LLC, operating out of Kerman

AWG Brands, the private brands program of Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc., is adding 63 new items to its product portfolio in the first quarter of 2026. The curated rollout across the Best Choice, Superior Selections by Best Choice, Tippy Toes, TopCare and Simply Done brands reinforces the company’s commitment to providing independent retailers with quality, on-trend products that provide exceptional value.

“Our goal with product innovation is to provide AWG member retailers with a lineup that resonates with the way families eat and live today,” said Emily Detwiler, vice president of AWG

Harps Food Stores Inc. has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire 18 stores from Joey and Jeanie Hays, owners of Dyer Foods, an independent grocery retailer with multiple locations across western Tennessee.

The store locations being acquired are in the following towns: Fulton, KY; Alamo, TN; Bells, TN; Brownsville, TN; Covington, TN; Dyersburg, TN; Halls, TN; Henderson, TN; Humboldt, TN; Jackson, TN; Millington, TN; Newbern, TN; Somerville, TN; Tiptonville, TN; and Trenton, TN.

Earlier this week, Dyer Foods informed their associates that its store banners, employment and operations across

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed an administrative complaint against IE AAA LLC, Citrus World. The company, operating from New York, allegedly failed to make payment promptly to 17 produce sellers in the amount of $1.96 million from March 2024 through March 2025, in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.

IE AAA LLC will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry as a licensee for three years, or two years with the posting of a USDA-approved

This April, several Walmart Neighborhood Markets across Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and Louisiana will test a new kind of rapid remodel process designed for quicker results and less customer disruption.

Instead of stretching a remodel over several months, the company is condensing the work by temporarily closing the main sales floor for four weeks and keeping pharmacies and fuel stations open.

Walmart said this is an opportunity to test, learn and refine its remodel process to identify best practices for the future.

During the rapid remodels, store associates will be working

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed an administrative complaint against BLJR Distribution LLC. The company, operating from New York, allegedly failed to make prompt payment to 16 produce sellers in the amount of $576,663 from October 2024 through March 2025, in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.  

BLJR Distribution LLC will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry as a licensee for three years, or two years with the posting of a USDA