Aurora Foods Selects Acosta as National Broker

St. Louis, MO - June 1, 2001 - Aurora Foods Inc. (NYSE: AOR), a leading producer and marketer of premium branded foods, today announced it has appointed the Acosta Sales and Marketing Company as its national sales and marketing agent for the retail market.

Acosta is the largest food brokerage in the United States and is nationally recognized for its superior service in sales, marketing and merchandising. Acosta will provide Aurora with full national representation for all its premium brands, which include Duncan Hines® baking mixes, Mrs. Butterworth's® and Log Cabin® syrups, Aunt Jemima® frozen breakfast products, Lender's® bagels, Mrs. Paul's® and Van de Kamp's® frozen seafood and Celeste® pizza. Acosta replaces Marketing Specialists Corp. as Aurora's sales and marketing agent. Marketing Specialists, along with its dedicated Aurora team, merged with Acosta this week, making the transfer of business both seamless and orderly.

"We are excited about our new partnership with Acosta and about the prospects of the two of us growing our businesses together," said James T. Smith, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Aurora Foods. "Acosta is known for delivering the best retail selling programs in the industry, and we will continue to deliver the best branded products in America to our consumers."