Del Monte Foods Company Announces Expiration of Exchange Offer.

Business Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 18, 2003

Del Monte Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Del Monte Foods Company (NYSE:DLM), announced that it has completed its exchange offer to exchange up to $450.0 million principal amount of newly issued Series B 8 5/8% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2012, registered under the Securities Act of 1933, for a like principal amount of its outstanding, privately placed 8 5/8% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2012. The newly issued Series B notes are guaranteed on a subordinated basis by Del Monte Foods Company and on a senior subordinated basis by certain wholly-owned subsidiaries of Del Monte Corporation.

All of the privately placed 8 5/8% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2012 were exchanged or guaranteed to be exchanged in the exchange offer and will be accepted by Del Monte Corporation. The exchange offer expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on December 17, 2003.

The outstanding, privately placed notes were issued to finance, in part, Del Monte Foods' acquisition through merger of the North American StarKist(R) seafood, North American pet food and pet snacks, U.S. private label soup, College Inn(R) broth and U.S. infant feeding businesses of the H.J. Heinz Company (NYSE: HNZ) in December 2002. Del Monte Corporation made this exchange offer to satisfy its obligations under the registration rights agreement relating to the outstanding, privately placed notes in which Del Monte Corporation committed to use its reasonable best efforts to issue notes pursuant to a registration under the Securities Act of 1933, which notes generally can be publicly traded, in exchange for the outstanding, privately placed notes, which were subject to certain transfer restrictions. The exchange offer did not affect Del Monte's outstanding debt levels, as new notes issued in connection with the exchange offer were issued only upon cancellation of a like amount of currently outstanding notes.

This announcement is not an offer to sell any securities, or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities. The exchange offer was made solely by means of Del Monte's written prospectus dated November 19, 2003, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of Del Monte's Registration Statement on Form S-4.

Del Monte Foods Company is one of the country's largest and most well known producers, distributors and marketers of premium quality, branded and private label food and pet products for the U.S. retail market, generating over $3 billion in pro forma net sales in fiscal 2003. With a powerful portfolio of brands including Del Monte(R), Contadina(R), StarKist(R), S&W(R), Nature's Goodness(TM), College Inn(R), 9Lives(R), Kibbles'n Bits(R), Pup-Peroni(R), Snausages(R), and NawSomes! (R), Del Monte products are found in 9 out of 10 American households. For more information on Del Monte Foods Company, visit the Company's website at www.delmonte.com.