May 17, 2005 9:32 AM, from staff and wire reports

Ready Pac Produce Inc, the Irwindale CA-based distributor of fresh fruit and vegetables, will close salad packaging plants in California’s Salinas Valley, Yuma AZ, and Boisbriand, Canada. All three plants are Salad Time facilities acquired in a 2004 merger with Tanimura and Antle.

About 160 of the more than 400 Salinas employees also worked at the Yuma plant. The Boisbriand plant near Montreal has 295 workers.

Ready Pac will continue production at four plants: Irwindale, Plymouth IN, Florence NJ, and Jackson GA, which the company acquired in the Tanimura and Antle merger.