Aurora Foods Launches Lender's Into Snacks Business, Little Lender's to Compete in $26.5 Billion Snack Category With Mini Bagels

St. Louis, MO - May 10, 2001 - Aurora Foods (NYSE: AOR), a leading producer and marketer of premium branded foods, today announced that it is introducing a new line of Lender's® bagels called Little Lender's to extend the Lender's® brand into the highly convenient and fast-growing $26.5 billion snack-food business.

Little Lender's is a line of bite-size mini bagels -- with 15 to a bag -- sold in the grocer's fresh bread aisle. The product comes in six flavors: Cinnamon Raisin, Chocolate Chip, Strawberry Banana, Blueberry, Plain and Garden Veggie.

"Little Lender's is unlike any other product in the market today," said James T. Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer. "The bite-size product is perfect for kids, snacking and parties because it is tasty and low in fat. We think it is the ideal way to extend Lender's® well-known equity into the very large snack food business, where the convenience of products like Little Lender's will continue to grow in importance."

Aurora said that a select group of customers have already responded favorably to Little Lender's in early previews. Last week, the Company also announced the launch of two new Duncan Hines products, Duncan Hines Snack Express Kits and Duncan Hines Fun Frosters.