Editing United Fruit Company (section)

==Decline and Transformation==
(1950–1984)
Antitrust Challenges: In 1958, the U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust suit, forcing UFCO to divest assets and spin off competitors like Standard Fruit Company. Declining banana prices and rising labor costs eroded profits.

Guatemala Coup and Backlash: The 1954 CIA-led Operation PBSuccess in Guatemala, driven by UFCO’s lobbying, restored its land but damaged its reputation, fueling anti-American sentiment. By the 1960s, nationalist movements and land reforms further challenged its dominance.

Merger and Rebranding: In 1970, UFCO merged with AMK Corporation, becoming United Brands Company under [[Eli M. Black]]. Black’s 1975 suicide, amid a bribery scandal involving a $2.5 million payment to Honduran officials, marked a low point. In 1984, Carl Lindner Jr. acquired United Brands, renaming it Chiquita Brands International in 1990, shifting focus to diversified agriculture and ethical branding.