Tate & Lyle announces major increase in sucralose capacity to reflect growing demand

Tate & Lyle announced today a significant expansion of its sucralose plant in McIntosh, Alabama at a total capital cost of £16 million (US $30 million). The expansion will use the existing patented manufacturing process and will be completed by January 2006. The project will be funded from existing resources and is expected to cover the Group’s cost of capital in the second year of operation.

Iain Ferguson, Chief Executive of Tate & Lyle, said: “We have been delighted by the strong customer-led demand for SPLENDA® Sucralose since we completed the sucralose realignment in April this year. This growth is across all categories and includes the introduction of new mid-calorie carbonated beverages containing sucralose.”

Tate & Lyle announced the realignment of its sucralose agreements with McNeil Nutritionals (a division of McNeil-PPC, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company) on 19 February 2004 with the transaction completing in April 2004. As a result, Tate & Lyle became the sole manufacturer and responsible for the world-wide ingredient sales of SPLENDA® Sucralose to food and beverage manufacturers. McNeil Nutritionals is responsible for the world-wide SPLENDA® Brand retail and foodservice business. Tate & Lyle supplies McNeil Nutritionals sucralose on an exclusive basis.

Tate & Lyle is a world leader in ingredients. Its core competence is to take corn, wheat or sugar, and add value to these raw materials through technology. As a result of continuous innovation it offers an ever-wider product portfolio of versatile and functional ingredients. These products include Cereal Sweeteners, Starches, Sugars and Citric Acid. Tate & Lyle products have wide applications in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, paper, packaging and building industries.

With headquarters in London, Tate & Lyle operates more than 41 plants and 20 additional production facilities in 28 countries, almost all in Europe and the Americas. It employs 6,700 people in its subsidiaries with a further 4,800 employed in joint ventures. Sales in the year to 31 March 2004 totalled £3,167 million. More details are available on this website www.tateandlyle.com. SPLENDA® is a trademark of McNeil-PPC, Inc.