NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2006 -- Suppliers of perishable goods -- from bananas to oncology drugs -- now have a cost-effective, real-time method to potentially reduce $35 billion (industry estimates) of annual U.S. waste in the supply chain. Deloitte Consulting LLP and the RFID Research Center at the University of Arkansas have developed a method to monitor and control conditions in the so-called "cold chain," the distribution chain of perishable goods. Their in-transit study, made possible by Chiquita Brands International, found broad inconsistencies in temperature within environmentally controlled trailers.

"Loss and damage of perishable goods during storage and transportation is a substantial global issue, with some industry sources estimating that losses of up to 33 percent on perishable freight are common," said Doug Standley, Deloitte Consulting. "In addition to negatively impacting manufacturers' and distributors' financial results, these losses contribute to waste, pollution, inefficient utilization of resources and illnesses caused by poor handling. When these adverse events -- such as unacceptable temperature changes -- occur, being able to quickly alert all parties and take remedial action can provide real value and go a long way toward resolving the issue," Standley added. "The good news is that emerging technologies are now ready to address this issue. We believe that, through our advanced cold chain research and experience, we have developed an economically feasible solution for manufacturers and distributors."

The research confirmed that the temperature within a shipping container can vary up to 35 percent from pallet to pallet, creating a potentially unacceptable environment for perishable goods.

"Our research, which utilized emerging wireless, sensor and Internet applications, was able to monitor and control temperatures and provide sufficient tracking to ensure item-level quality," said Bruce Westbrook, leader of the Consumer Business Consulting practice for Deloitte & Touche USA. "The research leveraged these technologies without specific vendor bias to develop a neutral Intelligent Cold Chain perspective that can serve the global supply chain marketplace."

Deloitte Consulting and University of Arkansas collaborated with Chiquita Brands International for a real-world application of the research; Chiquita provided refrigerated trucks and perishable products from its live supply chain.

"We have a long tradition, dating back to 1903 when we first introduced the use of refrigerated cargo ships to transport bananas, as leaders in innovative cold-chain management," said Waheed Zaman, Chiquita's senior vice president of supply chain and procurement. "Our decision to actively participate in this study was driven by our continued desire to optimize the quality and freshness of our healthy foods for consumers and customers. The insights gained, along with our application of emerging technologies, will offer us opportunities to continue to excel in cold-chain management and drive consumer-impacting advancements."

"This project showed that wireless and sensory technologies are a reliable, cost-effective way to investigate temperature and other conditions within a supposedly environmentally controlled trailer," said Bill Hardgrave, director of the UA RFID Research Center. "The preliminary data from the experiment are already beginning to provide insight into a 'real world' environment that until now had been prohibitively expensive to track. Overall, this project -- even at this early stage -- is rapidly bringing into focus the vision of a truly intelligent Cold Chain."

Deloitte Consulting LLP and the University of Arkansas are publishing opinion and analysis papers on cold chain applications for wireless sensor systems. Deloitte Consulting is a strategic sponsor of the University of Arkansas RFID Research Center.

About the UA RFID Research Center

The UA RFID Research Center (http://itri.uark.edu/rfid/ ), a subunit of the Information Technology Research Institute within the Sam M. Walton College of Business, was formally approved by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and began operations on Feb. 4, 2005. The center officially opened in June 2005. In September 2005, the center passed accreditation criteria established by EPCglobal Inc., a global not-for-profit standards organization commercializing the Electronic Product Code and RFID worldwide. The center is one of the first EPC/RFID research laboratories worldwide to receive the EPCglobal Performance Test Center accreditation. In addition to his position as director of the RFID Research Center, Hardgrave is executive director of Walton College's Information Technology Research Institute and holds the Edwin and Karlee Bradberry Chair in Information Systems.

About Deloitte

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, its member firms and their respective subsidiaries and affiliates. As a Swiss Verein (association), neither Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu nor any of its member firms has any liability for each other's acts or omissions. Each of the member firms is a separate and independent legal entity operating under the names "Deloitte," "Deloitte & Touche," "Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu" or other related names. Services are provided by the member firms or their subsidiaries or affiliates and not by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Verein.

Deloitte & Touche USA LLP is the US member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. In the U.S., services are provided by the subsidiaries of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP (Deloitte & Touche LLP, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, Deloitte Tax LLP and their subsidiaries), and not by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP.

About Chiquita Brands International

With annual revenues of more than $4 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 the company's Web site at http://www.chiquita.com .