Westlake Village, CA - October 27, 2000

Dole Food Company, Inc. (NYSE: DOL) will issue its press release on its third quarter earnings results prior to the market opening on Wednesday, November 1, 2000, and will host a conference call at 1:00 p.m. (EST) to discuss the company's financial results. Hosting the call for the company will be David A. DeLorenzo, President and Chief Operating Officer, and Kenneth J. Kay, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

The conference call will be webcast live and may be accessed on the company's website at www.dole.com. The call will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. (EST). A webcast audio replay of the conference call will also be archived through 5:00 p.m. (EST), November 6, 2000, on the Company's website at www.dole.com.

Dole Food Company, Inc., with 1999 revenues of $5.1 billion, is the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers, and markets a growing line of packaged foods.