WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California - March 05, 2012

Powder chosen as one of four finalists in the Best NewFinished Product category

The Dole Nutrition Institute (DNI), a division of Dole Food Company, Inc., (NYSE:DOLE) today announced that its first food product, Dole Portobello Mushroom Powder, has been chosen as a finalist for the Best New Finished Product as the 2012 NutrAward. The Vitamin D Mushroom Powder is one of only four finalists in the Best New Finished Product category. The winner will be chosen in Anaheim, California on March 8th at the 2012 Nutracon event.

The NutrAwards finalists are chosen by a selection committee made up of industry experts, scientists and nutritionists, as well as registered Engredea and Nutracon attendees. Dole Portobello Mushroom Powder was judged based on a creative product concept, its distinct health application, unique packaging and matchless marketing.

“The Dole Nutrition Institute is thrilled and honored to have its first ever food product, Dole Portobello Mushroom Powder, considered for such a prestigious award,” said Dole Senior Vice President Jennifer Grossman. “This product was developed to creatively address a consumer need, but remains true to Dole’s commitment of producing high-quality, nutritious products.”

The mushroom powder naturally supplies 150% of your daily vitamin D requirement in each teaspoon and can be sprinkled into nearly any recipe – soups, side dishes, entrees, smoothies or desserts. The Dole Portobello Mushroom Powder is the first-ever plant-based source of the vitamin. Other vitamin D supplements are derived from sheep fat, yeast or fish livers. The Dole Portobello Mushroom Powder can be purchased on-line at shop.dole.com.

Though conventionally considered a vitamin, vitamin D is actually a hormone naturally made in the skin as a result of exposure to sunlight which also stimulates vitamin D production in mushrooms. It helps maintain levels of calcium needed for healthy teeth, strong bones and muscles, and our immune system. Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most prevalent (yet preventable) roots of many diseases, including childhood rickets and osteoporosis, while emerging research indicates potential associations with rheumatoid arthritis, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular and neurological disorders and even some forms of cancer.

The Dole Nutrition Institute was founded by David H. Murdock in 2003 to help “feed the world with knowledge” about the benefits of a plant-based diet. The Dole Nutrition Institute harvests the latest findings from the finest universities around the world, including the eight universities collaborating with Dole scientists at the unprecedented North Carolina Research Campus, home of the Dole Nutrition Research Laboratory. This valuable information is distributed freely to consumers through the multiple award-winning 2.5 million circulation, Dole Nutrition News, the recently published Dole Nutrition Handbook, videos, brochures, cookbooks and more.

About Dole Food Company

Dole, with 2010 revenues of $6.9 billion, is the world’s largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables,and is the leading producer of organic bananas and producer/shipper of organic pineapples. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen fruit and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research. For more information, please visit www.dole.com.