Westlake Village, CA - April 07, 2006

Dole Food Company, Inc., today announced the promotion of Keith Mitchell to Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for Dole Fresh Fruit North America. In his new role, Mr. Mitchell will be responsible for the financial management of Dole's North America Fresh Fruit Operations. Mr. Mitchell will be located in Westlake Village, CA beginning May 8, 2006.

Mr. Mitchell joined Dole in 1993 as Internal Audit Manager in Westlake Village, CA. In 1995 he was appointed Director of European Financial Reporting for Dole's operations in Paris, France. In 1997, Mr. Mitchell was named European Controller. His most current position was Director of Finance and Administration, Dole Fresh Fruit Europe, based in Hamburg, Germany. He graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Baltimore and received an M.B.A. from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). Mr. Mitchell is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor.

Richard Dahl, President and Chief Operating Officer, stated: "Keith has a tremendous background for his new role. He has participated in the strong success of Dole's European Market, and we are pleased we can use his skills as we grow and diversify our successful North American Market."

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; 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.