SALINAS, Calif. - August 02, 2006

Dole Fresh Vegetable Company announces the launch of its new Restaurant Ready® Lettuce Cups, available nationwide. With the rise in popularity of lettuce wraps, appetizer and main dish menu items utilizing lettuce cups, Dole seized the opportunity to offer a pre-trimmed, ready to use product that makes creativity the only challenge.

As a trend-leader in the fresh produce business, Dole worked with its foodservice customers to improve the yield of iceberg lettuce in a pre-made cup without sacrificing quality. Research determined the following were areas where lettuce cups could improve performance over operators producing their own: quality/consistency, guest experience/satisfaction, waste (direct/indirect), storage, labor, yields, distribution and cost per useable cup.

Dole Restaurant Ready® Lettuce Cups offer restaurants a dramatic increase in usable product portions in a smaller light weight case. Waste is reduced due to leftover/removed portions of product being left in the field as organic material rather than being disposed of on- site. In addition, savings in handling and shipping is achieved due to the reduction of cube and weight per carton. Lettuce cups are available in a 32 count case.

For sales or more information about Dole Fresh Vegetables Foodservice Products, contact Terry Kuhel, Western Business Development Manager 909-949-2608 or Tony Altimore, Eastern Business Development Manager, 724-444-1477.

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 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.