Dole Food Company, Inc. Announces Promotion of John F. Amaya to President, Dole Fresh Flowers

Business Wire, June 22, 2005

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- Dole Food Company, Inc. today announced the promotion of John F. Amaya to President, Dole Fresh Flowers. As President, Dole Fresh Flowers, Mr. Amaya will report directly to Richard J. Dahl, Dole Food Company President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Amaya had previously served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dole Fresh Flowers. Dole Fresh Flowers is the largest importer and marketer of flowers in North America and the largest producer of fresh flowers in Latin America.

Before joining Dole in July 2002, Mr. Amaya held a number of positions with Sara Lee Corporation, in Mexico, Argentina and the United States. Previous to Sara Lee, he held positions with Abbott Laboratories and Deloitte & Touche. Mr. Amaya holds a Bachelors degree in Accounting from Northern Illinois University and a Masters degree in Management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.

David H. Murdock, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dole, stated: "John's experience with Dole's Flower Division and his international business experience makes him uniquely suited to assume this leadership role and affords him a wealth of experience that can be applied to the Company's fresh-cut flower operations. I look forward to working with John as he grows this division to strengthen its leadership position in the retail and wholesale sectors of the fresh-cut flower industry."

Dole Food Company, Inc., with 2004 revenues of $5.3 billion, is the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen foods and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research.

This release contains "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward looking statements, which are based on management's current expectations, are generally identifiable by the use of terms such as "may," "will," "expects," "believes," "intends" and similar expressions. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied herein include weather-related phenomena; market responses to industry volume pressures; product and raw materials supplies and pricing; electrical power supply and pricing; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; economic crises and security risks in developing countries; international conflict; and quotas, tariffs and other governmental actions. Further information on the factors that could affect Dole's financial results is included in its SEC filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K.