Lettuce Processor Funds E. Coli Studies

SALINAS, Calif. -- One of the nation's biggest processors of bagged lettuce said Wednesday it would give up to $2 million to pay for scientific research that would improve produce safety and prevent future E. coli outbreaks.

The move comes four months after a nationwide outbreak linked to tainted California spinach sickened more than 200 people and killed three.

Fresh Express said the pledged money would allow food safety experts who have been meeting as volunteers since May to pay for specific research projects through a competitive grant process.

Fresh Express products were not implicated in the E. coli scare, but parent company Chiquita Brands International reported third-quarter losses of $96 million last year that it attributed to consumer concern about eating leafy greens.

The group is chaired by Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

The panel had identified five areas worthy of more research, including from how E. coli is absorbed by leafy greens and whether it survives in harvested fields, Osterholm said in a statement released by the company.

Fresh Express said the group, which includes experts from academia and government, would make the research grants independently and without restrictions from the company.