Nutrinova Expands Partnership with ChemPoint.com.

Business Editors

SOMERSET, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 2002

Nutrinova has announced an extension of their relationship with ChemPoint.com. to include Nutrinova's Caromax(TM) product line.

ChemPoint will be Nutrinova's primary sales and supply chain channel for its small and medium-sized customers in the United States for this unique dietary fiber derived from the fruit of the carob tree. This announcement extends the partnership between the organizations that was initially launched with the exclusive distributorship for Nutrinova's brand sweetener Sunett(R) (Ace K), in February 2001. Nutrinova will concentrate their direct sales efforts on more global food industry customers and prospects.

"We have been extremely impressed with the results that ChemPoint has generated for us over the last nine months on Sunett(R) and Nutrinova Sorbates," stated Graham Hall, President of Nutrinova's North American operation. "In addition to delivering triple-digit growth from the significant base of small customers we initially asked them to service, they have done a tremendous job of getting the value proposition of Sunett(R) in front of hundreds of other smaller food manufacturers in the U.S. We expect that their targeted marketing approach will be equally successful in getting the superior value proposition of our Caromax(TM) fiber in front of innovative product designers and key decision makers in the food industry."

Caromax(TM), a unique dietary fiber from the fruit of the carob tree, is well-suited for a wide variety of applications including healthy breads and other baked goods, breakfast cereals, snack foods and nutrition bars. The carob fruit comes from the Ceratonia seliqua, a member of the legume family, and is native to the Mediterranean region. The Mediterranean diet is famous for being healthy, and products such as Caromax(TM) that can capture some of the health benefits, such as cholesterol reduction and antioxidant activity are sought after.

Caromax's unique composition is characterized by its high content of lignin, polyphenols and pinitol. It is not only the nutritional benefits of Caromax(TM) that contribute to the ingredient's broad appeal; with an excellent water-binding capacity, Caromax(TM) can prolong a product's shelf-life, at the same time enhancing quality and freshness. Other advantages include texture improvement, increased flowability, anti-caking properties and enhanced coloring. With a total dietary fiber content of over 80%, Caromax(TM) offers a nutritional option for increasing fiber content in the development of products spanning the food industry -- without compromising taste.

"Caromax(TM) is an exciting new product line with unique, differentiated properties that can add high value to specific applications -- precisely the kind of ingredient that our marketing and sales process was designed to excel with," remarks Chad Steigers, Managing Director for ChemPoint.com. "We are very proud of the results that we continue to deliver on the Sunett(R) (Ace K) product line. Our success demonstrates ChemPoint's ability to deliver significant market share growth with our unique marketing and sales model. We are pleased that Nutrinova has the confidence to extend our relationship, and look forward to continuing this superior pattern of performance with Caromax(TM)."

Nutrinova is a leading international supplier of specialty ingredients for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The company invented acesulfame K and markets this high intensity sweetener under the brand name Sunett(R). Nutrinova is also one of the world's largest producers of potassium sorbate and sorbic acid and has recently entered the market for dietary fibers. With its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, Nutrinova has fifteen affiliates throughout the world. www.nutrinova.com; www.caromax.com; www.carobfiber.com

ChemPoint.com is the leading "e-distributor" of specialty and fine chemicals in North America, working in exclusive relationships for specific product lines with world-class manufactures such as Akzo Nobel, BASF, Celanese Chemical, FMC and Rohm & Haas. Founded in 1999, ChemPoint is based in Bellevue, WA, and performs marketing, sales, service and order fulfillment for suppliers of specialty and fine chemicals. While providing customers with the functionality to conduct e-commerce on their own terms, ChemPoint's staff of technical experts provides quick, personalized, and cost-effective customer service. ChemPoint is a fully owned subsidiary of Royal Vopak NV of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the global market leader in providing logistics and distribution services to the chemical and oil industry. Vopak USA, based out of Kirkland, WA, is North America's largest industrial chemical distributor, with over $3 billion in annual revenues.