Dole to Begin Selling Organic Bananas

Dole Foods Co., the world’s largest producer of fresh fruit and vegetables, said it will begin selling organic bananas under the Dole name, tapping into the $6-billion organic products market. The bananas will be grown in Ecuador and Honduras on farms that have been certified as organic by U.S.-based agencies, Dole said. The company will begin selling organic bananas Feb. 1. Rival Chiquita Brands International Inc. has no current plans to sell organic bananas under its label, a spokeswoman said. Shares of Westlake Village-based Dole were unchanged at $15.44 on the NYSE.