Title: Chiquita Brands International, Inc. | American corporation | Britannica
Headings: Chiquita Brands International, Inc.
Chiquita Brands International, Inc.
American corporation
Chiquita Brands International, Inc.

Content: The Latin American press often referred to it as el pulpo (“the octopus”), accusing it of exploiting labourers, bribing officials, and influencing governments, especially during the period of Yankee “dollar diplomacy” in the early decades of the 20th century. The company’s defenders, however, pointed out that United Fruit’s early excesses were somewhat mitigated later. Through the Associated Producers Program, the company gradually transferred title of portions of its landholdings to individual growers, provided them with reasonable credit terms and technological assistance, and acted as marketing agent for their produce; its workers were comparatively well paid and were provided with medical care. After the European Union imposed import restrictions on bananas in the mid-1990s, Chiquita suffered steep declines in profits, which led to its reorganization under bankruptcy protection in 2001. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now
In 1998 the Cincinnati Enquirer published a series of articles accusing Chiquita of a variety of misdeeds, including workers’ rights violations; the newspaper retracted the articles after it was learned that some of the evidence on which the stories were based had been obtained illegally. In 2007 Chiquita pleaded guilty to charges of making illegal protection payments to a right-wing militia in Colombia, for which it was fined $25 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeannette L. Nolen, Assistant Editor.