MINNEAPOLIS - February 27, 2003 - Cargill Health & Food Technologies (H&FT) will debut its new phytosterol brand CoroWise™ at the upcoming Nutracon-SupplyExpo West March 6-9, 2003 at the Anaheim Convention Center.  H&FT helped trigger a recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration action that will expand the use of the phytosterol heart-health claim to a broader range of foods and beverages.  H&FT also will feature the ASCEND™ brand of trehalose.  PacificHealth Laboratories Inc. is introducing a ready-to-drink version of their Accelerade® sport drink product that will incorporate ASCEND™ trehalose. These two products promote health and can be used easily. Plant phytosterols, such as the CoroWise™ product line, have been found in clinical studies to be effective in decreasing total blood and LDL cholesterol as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.  ASCEND™ trehalose is a unique sugar made from cornstarch that in sports beverages provides energy with a lower insulin response than glucose.

“Nutracon-SupplyExpo provides an excellent opportunity to introduce industry marketing and applications development professionals to our newest products.  We look forward to discussing our products' versatility in the newest generation of functional foods and supplements,” said Jim Kappas, H&FT's director of sales and marketing for specialty ingredients.

In addition to CoroWise™ and Ascend™ brand product lines, H&FT will also showcase OptaFlex™  brand - the first solvent-free chondroitin made from North American sourced raw material, and AdvantaSoy™ Compress™ - high concentration soy isoflavones specifically formulated for the dietary supplement industry.

“Consumers are becoming more interested in the health-promoting and performance-oriented benefits of foods. It's important that people see - and taste - some of our product concepts that represent the future in functional foods,” said Steve Snyder H&FT's director of sales and marketing for nutraceutical ingredients.  “Consumer product companies have an opportunity to leverage this interest by formulating new products with high quality, nutritional and functional ingredients like Ascend™ trehalose and CoroWise™ phytosterols.” Cargill's H&FT business is part of a larger Cargill initiative called Food System Design. As such, Health & Food Technologies works in concert with customers to produce ingredient breakthroughs and other food system solutions that result in appetizing, nutritious, and convenient consumer products. Cargill Health & Food Technologies, based in Minneapolis, is a leading developer, processor and marketer of science-based, healthy ingredients for food and dietary supplements worldwide.  It is a business unit of Cargill, Incorporated, an international marketer, processor and distributor of agricultural, food, financial and industrial products and services with 97,000 employees in 59 countries. Cargill provides distinctive customer solutions in supply chain management, food applications, and health and nutrition.