Dole Food Company, Inc. Announces Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts

Business Wire, Sept 9, 2005

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- Dole Food Company, Inc. today announced its 41 employees in the Gulfport, Mississippi area have been accounted for and their immediate living needs are being met. Dole is in the process of assessing the long-term needs of its employees in the area and will continue working to address those needs.

In support of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Dole has donated products, including packaged foods, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, including bananas, pineapples and plantains, to hurricane relief efforts in the New Orleans and Gulfport areas. The Company is making a monetary donation to the American Red Cross and is encouraging its employees to participate in the relief effort by matching their contributions to the American Red Cross or Salvation Army. In addition, Dole has established a program whereby employees can donate the monetary value of a day of vacation time to a special fund which will directly support Dole employees impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

David H. Murdock, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Dole stated: "We are relieved that all Dole's employees in the area are safe. The effects of Hurricane Katrina are devastating and Dole is assisting in any way possible to improve this situation."

Dole shipped bananas, pineapple and other diversified tropical fruits from Central and South America through Gulfport. These shipments have and will continue to be diverted to other Dole port facilities, include Freeport, Texas; Port Everglades, Florida; and Wilmington, Delaware. Dole maintains customary insurance for its property, including shipping containers, as well as for business interruption, and is continuing to evaluate the potential costs incurred as a result of hurricane damage.

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.