Employees Encouraged to Bring Dogs to Work for Special Day

June 10, 2004 Today, Del Monte Foods Company opens the doors to its Pittsburgh offices for some special guests as employees are accompanied to work by their dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes as part of the Company's Take Your Dog to Work Day.

" The pet business is an important part of our Company's future and a business we all greatly enjoy," said Richard G. Wolford, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Del Monte Foods. "Today's events highlight our feelings about our brands and products which we believe are special and are uniquely about the connectedness between pet and owner."

More than 30 dogs and owners will be participating in the event. Activities for the day include a visit from Animal Friends. Shelter volunteers will be on hand to demonstrate to pet owners an interactive obedience class and will discuss different topics that dog owners find interesting in a question and answer session.

Following the demonstrations, employees and dogs, along with several hundred other Del Monte employees, will line up on the River Avenue Trail to walk to the location of the new Del Monte office building for the groundbreaking ceremony. The dogs play a key role in the ceremony's "Paws for Posterity" event by creating a paw print in concrete to commemorate the day in perpetuity and serve as a lasting addition in the new building.

After the groundbreaking ceremony the employees and their dogs will walk back to Del Monte offices and enjoy a picnic lunch provided by the Company. The day will conclude with a dog show and awards ceremony.

"As the home of Del Monte's pet products business, it just makes sense for us to celebrate the special bond between pets and their owners via events like this," said Todd Lachman, Managing Director of Del Monte Pet Products. "Our employees certainly understand and appreciate the special role pets, and dogs in particular, play in our lives."

Del Monte is the maker of several well-known pet food and snacks brands, including Kibbles 'n Bits(R), 9 Lives(R), Pup-Peroni(R), NawSomes!(R), Pounce(R) and Snausages(R) and is committed to celebrating the unique relationship between owners and their pets.