Segment Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended						6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012		Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011		Jun. 30, 2012		Jun. 30, 2011
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 833,165,000				$ 870,351,000		$ 1,626,649,000		$ 1,694,814,000
Operating income (loss)	17,597,000				13,846,000		17,163,000		56,046,000
Sale leaseback amortization							8,591,000		7,066,000
Bananas [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	532,790,000				554,797,000		1,053,016,000		1,094,212,000
Operating income (loss)	29,097,000	[1]			59,464,000	[1]	48,112,000	[1]	115,682,000	[1]
Acceleration of losses on ship sublease arrangements net of related sub-leaseback gain amortization			6,000,000
Sale leaseback amortization			2,000,000
Total number of ships removed from service and subleased			5
Number of ships removed from service and subleased			3	2
Salads and healthy snacks [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	251,674,000				252,679,000		489,487,000		491,159,000
Operating income (loss)	10,142,000	[2]			3,278,000	[2]	10,408,000	[2]	9,317,000	[2]
Cost of sales primarily related to inventory write-offs to exit healthy snacking products that were not sufficiently profitable, gross			1,000,000
Cost of sales primarily related to inventory write-offs to exit healthy snacking products that were not sufficiently profitable, net			1,000,000
Selling, general and administrative expense to restructure the European healthy snacking sales force			1,000,000
Cost of sales primarily related to the closure of a research and development facility	1,000,000
Other produce [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	48,701,000				62,875,000		84,146,000		109,443,000
Operating income (loss)	(3,364,000)	[3]			(33,462,000)	[3]	(9,366,000)	[3]	(36,506,000)	[3]
Cost of sales primarily related to inventory write-offs to exit low-margin other produce, gross			2,000,000
Cost of sales primarily related to inventory write-offs to exit low-margin other produce, net			1,000,000
Provision for growers receivable					32,000,000
Corporate costs [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating income (loss)	$ (18,278,000)				$ (15,434,000)		$ (31,991,000)		$ (32,447,000)

[1] Includes the acceleration of $6 million of losses on ship sublease arrangements in the first quarter of 2012, net of $2 million of related sale-leaseback gain amortization during the sublease period. As part of the company's European shipping reconfiguration, five ships, two in the fourth quarter of 2011 and three in the first quarter of 2012, were removed from service and subleased. The primary leases for an equivalent number of ships will not be renewed at the end of 2012. These accelerated sublease losses are included in "Cost of sales."

[2] Includes $1 million ($1 million, net of tax) in "Cost of sales" in the first quarter of 2012, primarily related to inventory write-offs, to exit healthy snacking products that were not sufficiently profitable and $1 million in "Selling, general and administrative" to restructure the European healthy snacking sales force. These actions were completed during the first quarter of 2012. Includes $1 million in "Cost of sales" in the second quarter of 2012, primarily related to the closure of a research and development facility.

[3] Includes $2 million ($1 million, net of tax) in "Cost of sales" in the first quarter of 2012, primarily related to inventory write-offs, to exit low-margin other produce. Includes a reserve of $32 million for advances made to a Chilean grower in the second quarter of 2011, as described in Note 3.