UPDATE 1-Chiquita Brands posts surprise Q3 loss; shares down

* Q3 adj shr loss $0.14 vs est profit $0.32/shr

* Q3 sales $730 mln vs est $783.4 mln

* Cuts FY adj income view to $50-$60 mln

* Shares down 3 pct after the bell

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Fresh fruit and vegetable distributor Chiquita Brands International Inc (CQB.N) posted a surprise third-quarter loss, hurt by weak demand in Europe and lower sales of its salads, and slashed its full-year profit outlook for the second time this year.

Chiquita expects full-year comparable income of $50-$60 million compared with its prior target of $80-$90 million.

The company posted a third-quarter net loss of $8 million, or 19 cents a share, compared with net income of $5 million, or 11 cents a share, a year ago.

Excluding items, the company posted a loss of 14 cents a share. Net sales fell 8 percent to $730 million.

Analysts on average were expecting a profit of 32 cents a share, before special items, on revenue of $783.4 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Earlier in the day, rival Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc's (FDP.N) quarterly results also missed estimates, hurt by adverse weather conditions at its banana producing areas in Guatemala, which drove up production costs. [ID:nSGE6A10FN]

Shares of the company were down 3 percent after the bell. They closed at $12.24 Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.

The stock is down about 28 percent this year -- about the same as other rival Dole Food Co Inc (DOLE.N). (Reporting by Mihir Dalal in Bangalore; Editing by Vyas Mohan)