3 Years and 30 Billion Packets; Equal Sweetener Celebrates Significant Growth.

Business Editors

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2003

Merisant, the makers of Equal Sweetener celebrated the production of their 30 billionth packet in the U.S. on the heels of their 3rd year anniversary this month. Since acquiring the category leader in March of 2000, Merisant has returned the Equal brand to positive growth.

From 2001 to 2002, Equal's overall U.S. volume increased nearly 7%, a nice turnaround from the declining trends experienced by the previous owners. This New Year brings further good fortune to the Equal franchise, as the brand continues to experience steady sales growth across all channels, including the highly competitive US Food Channel (grocery retailers), where Equal delivered sustained growth over the same period a year ago.

Sales of Equal in the Food Service Channel continue to increase at double-digit rates, rising over 14% since 2001 as the sales team continues to acquire new accounts, including most recently, the Disney theme parks and Bimbo Bakeries, USA. The growing success of the Equal brand in this channel is confirmed by partnerships with many well-known operators, including Krispy Kreme, Panera Bread and McDonalds, to name a few. These major franchises find that Equal's product quality, great taste experience, trusted brand name and reliability are natural complements to their own customer satisfaction objectives.

"At Merisant we are extremely proud of our success in returning the brand to positive growth," said Jane Boyce, Vice President of Marketing for Merisant. "It has been an exciting experience to revive a 22-year-old brand in a category that hasn't grown significantly in years."

The company attributed much of its growth to its shift in marketing strategy which started to be fully implemented late last year. In January 2003, Equal launched a national television campaign featuring restaurateur B. Smith and received overwhelming response to its national joint promotion with Blockbuster. In addition, the brand has increased consumer sampling around the country and continues to drive increased awareness to the product's use in cooking and baking, most recently through a recipe contest featuring celebrity judge Gladys Knight.

In February, Merisant introduced a redesigned "Equal Spoonful" which measures like sugar and promotes Equal's use in hundreds of delicious recipes. From a Trade perspective, the introduction has been a terrific success -- achieving national distribution in record time. From a consumer perspective, reactions have been even more positive, with consumers noting significant convenience over the alternatives.

This month, a print campaign featuring B. Smith and supporting the new positioning began appearing in national magazines.

"We've worked hard to reposition the brand as a trusted product which allows people to enjoy the tastes of the food and beverages they love without the extra sugar and without the unpleasant aftertaste associated with some sweeteners," continued Boyce. "It's been a great three years and in another three, we hope to have a box of Equal in every pantry in the U.S."

About Merisant

Merisant Company acquired the global tabletop sweetener business from Monsanto Company in March of 2000. With over $400 million in worldwide sales, Merisant is the undisputed leader in the worldwide $1.2 billion high-intensity tabletop sweetener market, which includes the brand leaders Equal and Canderel(R), Merisant continues to provide new and innovative products to consumers. Today, the company markets over 20 brands in more than 100 countries around the world.

Note to editors: Equal(R) and Canderel(R) are registered trademarks of Merisant Company.