Discontinued Operations - Additional Information (Detail) (Long-Term Japanese Yen Hedges, USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
Dec. 30, 2006
Long-Term Japanese Yen Hedges
Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Interest rate swap to hedge future changes in interest rates	$ 320

Amount of term loan converted in fixed rate basis interest rate derivative.

No definition available.

Name:	dole_AmountOfTermLoanConvertedInFixedRateBasisInterestRateDerivative
Namespace Prefix:	dole_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration