Green onions are only produced in a limited production run exclusively for Taco Bell in one section of the Ready Pac Florence, N.J. plant. "All raw and processed green onions have been removed from the plant as part of our precautionary measures."

Ready Pac is working with Taco Bell, regulatory agencies, and industry experts to determine the root cause of this issue. Ready Pac fully cooperated with the FDA and local health officials during their visit today. All operations are continuing normally, except for the green onion line, which was previously discontinued.

Ready Pac purchases green onions from a reputable grower equally committed to food safety. Importantly, green onions are not used in any other product Ready Pac sells to either foodservice restaurants or for retail product distribution.

Ready Pac has earned an outstanding safety record for nearly 40 years and is saddened by the news of the E.coli outbreak and to hear about those who have fallen ill. Food safety has always been our number one priority and we believe that any food related illness is one too many.

"Again, the test results are inconclusive but we have taken these precautionary measures as we investigate the issues. Ready Pac will continue to take all necessary steps and will continue to fully communicate updates to our customers, consumers, suppliers, and the media," Dickstein added.

California-based Ready Pac is a premier processor of fresh-cut produce. With processing facilities across the U.S., Ready Pac's award-winning salads, fresh-cut fruit and convenience vegetables are distributed in supermarkets and restaurant chains across North America.

For more information, visit http://www.readypac.com.

SOURCE Ready Pac