Westlake Village, California - December 16, 2003

Dole Food Company, Inc. today announced that it has purchased Costa Rican pineapple farms and other assets from an affiliate of Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. for approximately $15.3 million.

David H. Murdock, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dole, stated: "This acquisition will enable Dole to better serve our customers, primarily in the Central and Eastern United States, as well as Europe, with increased supplies of Dole's Tropical Gold® sweet pineapple from Costa Rica."

Dole Food Company, Inc., with 2002 revenues of $4.4 billion, is the world's largest producer of high-quality fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers, markets a growing line of packaged foods, and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education.