Dole plc, the Dublin-based company, has cancelled the sale of its fresh vegetable’s unit to Fresh Express. This decision comes more than a year after the deal was announced with Fresh Express's parent company. In January of the previous year, Dole agreed to sell its U.S. vegetable division to Fresh Express, a subsidiary of Chiquita Brands International, for $293 million. The transaction was contingent on regulatory approval in the U.S., which the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has not granted. In a statement released on March 28, Dole announced that both parties had agreed to "terminate" the transaction.

The termination results from the DoJ's decision to pursue litigation to prevent the transaction. Despite disagreeing with DoJ's decision and maintaining that the transaction was pro-competitive and would have provided ongoing benefits to customers and consumers, Dole remains confident in finding an alternative path forward in the near term. This path will be in the best interests of the fresh vegetables division's employees, customers, partners, and Dole plc shareholders.