Fresh Express Packing Plant, California

With its mild winters and state-supplied water, the valleys of central and southern California produce most of the fresh vegetables in the USA, and the industrial area of south Salinas is one of the densest clusters of farm goods packing and processing activity. The Salinas valley is the nation’s primary source of leafy greens, such as lettuce and spinach. Fresh Express, the company that pioneered the bagged salad industry in the 1990s, and which still has more than a quarter of the market, operates one of its largest sorting and bagging plants here. Greens are processed at extreme speed, finding their way from farm to store shelves within 72 hours. The company is now owned by Chiquita, the famous Banana brand, developed by the United Fruit Company.