Dole Food Company, Inc. announced today that Dole Fresh Fruit
International, Ltd., its fresh fruit division in Latin America,
launched a new website (www.doleorganic.com) that houses several
interactive tools aimed at bringing consumers closer to its organic
banana operations. Dole is launching this innovative system in
response to demand from consumers who increasingly want specific
information relative to the farms where the Dole organic bananas are
grown or purchased from growers.
Key to the system is the Dole organic bananas' label, which is
printed with a unique farm code that corresponds to the specific farm
where the product was sourced. When consumers enter the indicated code
into the new Dole website specifically developed for this purpose
(www.doleorganic.com), they gain access to the farm's page, where they
can find information regarding the farm's characteristics (country,
location, certifications), have the opportunity to learn more about
the grower, read stories about Dole-sponsored projects in the
communities and look at pictures. Furthermore, the Dole organic
website has a link to the most advanced satellite images technology
available on the Internet, enabling consumers to actually view the
farm where the bananas they purchased were grown and the neighboring
areas.
"This new tool is both groundbreaking and interactive. Consumers
can now virtually visit the farms where the Dole organic bananas they
buy are grown. It is an educational tool, which increases transparency
and thus consumer confidence in our products and in our brand," says
Frans Wielemaker, Director of Sourcing and Development Organic Program
of Dole Fresh Fruit International in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Dole produces organically grown bananas in its own farms and
sources from independent organic growers located in Honduras, Ecuador,
Dominican Republic, Colombia and Peru for the European, North American
and Japanese Markets and also in the Philippines for the Asian
Markets. 100% of Dole's organic bananas are certified organic and
adhere to the organic production standards as set by the law in the
US, EU or Japan.
Dole Food Company, Inc., with 2005 revenues of $5.9 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.
