PACA stands for a federal statute called the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act of 1930, as amended 7 U.S.C.
§499a-t. It is the law under which a produce seller, who has properly preserved its trust rights under PACA, can enforce these rights against a produce buyer who fails to pay for produce it purchased in a federal district court.
The term PACA also refers to the administrative branch of the United States Department of Agriculture, which deals with licenses, rules and regulations of the produce industry.
The PACA branch of the USDA handles reparation proceedings between parties in payment disputes and disciplinary actions against individuals who are responsibly connected to a company that fails to promptly account and to promptly pay its produce suppliers.