Salinas-based Fresh Express is investing up to $2 million to research the potentially fatal bacterium that has brought the leafy-green industry under scrutiny since last year’s E. coli scare.

The company, whose products have never been shown to cause a foodborne illness outbreak, will share the results of the research with the public.

"We are hopeful that this research will yield new knowledge, practices and technologies that the entire fresh-cut produce industry can use to provide consumers with ready-to-eat produce that is consistently safe and healthy," Tanios Viviani, president of Fresh Express, said in a statement released Wednesday.