MELVILLE, N.Y., May 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAIN) is proud to announce that it has partnered with McDonald's to create a soy-based patty for the McVeggie Burger launched Monday in 600 McDonald's restaurants in Southern California. The McVeggie Burger is being manufactured exclusively for McDonald's by Yves Veggie Cuisine, a brand wholly owned by The Hain Celestial Group, and North America's leading maker of fresh meat alternatives. The McVeggie Burger is part of the new "Salads & More" menu at McDonald's.

Irwin D. Simon, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hain Celestial Group said, "We are delighted to be partnering with McDonald's to make the new McVeggie Burger, following the success of our McVeggie Burger in Canada. Foodservice is a distribution channel in which we see great potential, and we believe our partnership with McDonald's is an important part of our strategy to expand our presence in this channel.

"One of our Company goals is the creation of appealing new products that meet the needs of today's consumers who are increasingly interested in balancing health, taste and convenience. The burger we have created with McDonald's is a realization of that goal."

The new McVeggie Burger is a meatless Yves Veggie Cuisine soy-based patty with tangy barbeque sauce, fresh lettuce, tomato, slivered onions and pickles served on a toasted whole-wheat bun. At 8 grams of fat and 350 calories, the sandwich is cholesterol free, low in saturated fat and a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. The McVeggie Burgers are manufactured in the Yves Veggie Cuisine plant in Vancouver where the Company's line of over 30 meat and dairy alternatives are made.

The Hain Celestial Group, headquartered in Melville, NY, is a natural, specialty and snack food company. The Company is a leader in 13 of the top 15 natural food categories, with such well-known natural food brands as Celestial Seasonings (R) teas, Hain Pure Foods(R), Westbrae(R), Westsoy(R), Arrowhead Mills(R), Health Valley(R), Breadshop's(R), Casbah(R), Garden of Eatin(R), Terra Chips(R), Yves Veggie Cuisine(R), The Good Dog (R), The Good Slice(R), DeBoles(R), Earth's Best(R), Nile Spice, Rice Dream(R), Soy Dream(R), Imagine Natural Organic Soups and Broths(R), and Lima (R) and Biomarche(R) in Europe. The Company's principal specialty product lines include Hollywood(R) cooking oils, Estee(R) sugar-free products, Kineret(R) kosher foods, Boston Better Snacks(R), and Alba Foods(R). The Hain Celestial Group's website can be found at www.hain-celestial.com.

     CONTACT:   Investors:                         Media:
                Ira Lamel, CFO                     David Lilly/Jeremy Fielding
                The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.     Kekst and Company
                631-730-2200                       212-521-4800


SOURCE  The Hain Celestial Group
    -0-                             05/14/2003
    /CONTACT:  Investors - Ira Lamel, CFO of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.,
+1-631-730-2200; or Media - David Lilly or Jeremy Fielding of Kekst and
Company, +1-212-521-4800, for The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. /
    /Web site:  http://www.hain-celestial.com /
    (HAIN)

CO:  Hain Celestial Group; McDonald's
ST:  New York, California, British Columbia
IN:  FOD
SU:  PDT

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7099 05/14/2003 14:27 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com