CINCINNATI, September 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- Former KPMG Partner Adds Depth and Audit Expertise to Board

Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB) today announced that the
board of directors has decided to increase its size from seven to eight
members and has elected Howard (Skip) W. Barker, Jr., 60, to fill the new
position. Barker, who brings more than 30 years of experience in finance and
accounting practices, will also serve as a member of the company's audit
committee.

"We are delighted to welcome Skip to Chiquita's board," said Fernando
Aguirre, chairman and chief executive officer. "His leadership and extensive
finance and audit skills accentuate an already strong group of independent
board members whose vision and experience will continue to advance Chiquita's
sustainable growth strategy."

"Chiquita is an exciting company that is becoming a global leader in
branded, healthy, fresh foods," Barker said. "I look forward to adding my
experience and joining Chiquita's board to work with this management team."

Barker's accounting career spanned 30 years with KPMG LLP, where he
became a partner in 1982 and served as the firm's partner-in-charge of
several departments, including business development; mergers and
acquisitions, information, communications and entertainment businesses; and
executive education. Barker retired from KPMG in 2002, and since 2003, he has
served on the boards of directors at Medco Health Solutions, Inc., and
priceline.com Incorporated. He is chairman of the audit committees at both
companies.

Barker is a member of several professional societies, including the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Connecticut Society
of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Society of Certified Public
Accountants.

In addition to Aguirre and Barker, the board includes: Morten Arntzen,
president and chief executive officer for Overseas Shipholding Group, an
oceangoing vessel operator; Robert W. Fisher, a private investor with more
than 35 years senior management experience at various banana companies; Clare
M. Hasler, executive director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and
Food Science at the University of California at Davis; Durk I. Jager, former
chairman, president and chief executive officer at the Procter & Gamble Co.;
Jaime Serra, senior partner of Serra Associates International, a consulting
firm in law and economics, and Mexico's former secretary of finance and
secretary of trade and industry; and Steven P. Stanbrook, president,
developing markets platform at S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.

With annual revenues of approximately US$4.5 billion, Chiquita Brands
International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB) is a leading international marketer and
distributor of high-quality fresh and value-added food products -- from
energy-rich bananas and other fruits to nutritious blends of convenient green
salads. The company's products and services are designed to win the hearts
and smiles of the world's consumers by helping them enjoy healthy fresh
foods. The company markets its products under the Chiquita(R) and Fresh
Express(R) premium brands and other related trademarks. Chiquita employs
approximately 25,000 people operating in more than 70 countries worldwide.
For more information, please visit our web site at www.chiquita.com.

Web site: http://www.chiquita.com