By Will Feuer


Fruit-and-vegetables distributor Dole said it is abandoning the sale of its fresh vegetables business to Fresh Express after the U.S. Department of Justice said it would sue to block the transaction.

Dole said it disagrees with the Justice Department and believes the deal would have benefited customers.

Dole said in January of 2023 that it had agreed to sell the unit for $293 million to Fresh Express, a subsidiary of Chiquita Holdings. The unit, which processes and sells everything from leaf lettuces and cauliflower to artichokes and meal kits, generated sales of $1.28 billion in 2021.


Write to Will Feuer at Will.Feuer@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-28-24 0628ET