Dole Food Company, Inc. Applauds the Bipartisan Agreement to Extend Andean Trade Preferences and Urges Swift Congressional Approval

Dole Food Company, Inc. commends the hard work of the leadership
of the Congressional trade committees and applauds the agreement to
extend the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. Dole urges
Members of Congress to strongly support this agreement by voting in
favor of legislation to extend the ATPDEA for 8 months.

Dole is the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality
fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers, with operations
and employees around the world. Dole has significant operations in the
Andean region with a strong track record of providing its nearly
14,000 employees with high quality, good paying jobs. Dole's presence
in the region provides economic stability in these countries.

Michael Carter, Dole's Executive Vice President and General
Counsel stated, "The ATPDEA has played a crucial role in encouraging
Dole to make significant investments in the Andean region, such as our
flower production -- which supports nearly 6,500 good paying jobs in
the region. On behalf of the many thousands of Dole employees in the
Andean region, Dole applauds the bipartisan agreement to extend the
ATPDEA and urges strong support for its swift approval."

Dole Food Company, Inc., with 2006 revenues of $6.2 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 foods and frozen fruit 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; 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.