Monday November 1, 5:08 am Eastern Time

Company Press Release

SOURCE: Northland Cranberries Inc.

Northland 100% Juices Deliver More than Great Taste
  National Poll Reveals Why Americans Drink Cranberry Juice

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Great taste and health benefits top the list of reasons why Americans drink cranberry juice beverages, according to a recent study by Northland Cranberries Inc.(1) It's not surprising that taste ranks so high with cranberry juice drinkers. After all, Americans have loved the taste of cranberries, which are native to North America, for centuries. Plus, the fruit has been linked to such potential health benefits as the prevention of urinary tract infections and gum disease.

While some cranberry juice drinkers like the juice for its taste and some for its health benefits, nearly everyone agrees about one thing -- they want 100 percent juice. In fact, 86 percent of cranberry juice consumers want a juice that's all-natural or 100 percent juice, unlike cranberry juice cocktails, which are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.(2) This helps explain the 93 percent jump in sales of bottled 100 percent juice cranberry beverages last year.(3)

That's good news for Northland Cranberries, which offers a line of 100 percent juice beverages in eight cranberry flavors: Traditional Cranberry, Cranberry Raspberry, Cranberry Apple, Cranberry Grape, Cranberry Strawberry, Cranberry Peach, Cranberry Cherry and Cranberry Blackberry.

Consumers may know what they want when they head to the supermarket, but when they get to the juice aisle -- buyer beware! Products labeled ``juice cocktails'' and ``juice drinks'' are not 100 percent fruit juice. But, it's easy for consumers to mistakenly think they are. Creating even more confusion, some cranberry juice brands offer juice drinks, juice cocktails and 100 percent juice all under the same brand name. To be sure they're getting 100% juice, consumers need to read the fruit juice content which appears above the Nutrition Facts box on most beverage labels. Or, they can count on Northland, which is and always has been 100 percent juice.

The study also polled consumers on their fruit and vegetable consumption. It found that while 90 percent of Americans know it's important to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, nearly 80 percent don't reach the 5-a-day goal.(4) Unlike cranberry juice cocktails and juice drinks, six-ounces of Northland juice provides a serving of fruit, according to the National Cancer Institute and the Produce for Better Health Foundation. With the trouble most Americans have meeting the 5-a-day goal, 100 percent juice is a simple way to add a fruit serving.

Health conscious consumers also mentioned the importance of vitamin C, with 40 percent looking for it in their cranberry juice. Northland's all-natural cranberry juices fit the bill, providing consumers with 130 percent of the daily allowance of vitamin C.

Overall, the study reinforces that Northland's cranberry blends offer cranberry juice drinkers what they want -- an all-natural, 100 percent juice with more than the full daily allowance of vitamin C. This is different from cranberry juice cocktails and cranberry juice drinks, which are less than 100% juice.

Northland's juice blends are available nationally in supermarkets and grocery stores in 46-ounce and 64-ounce bottles, which have a suggested retail price range of $2.78 - 2.85 for the 46-ounce size and $3.69 - 3.89 for the 64-ounce bottle.

Northland Cranberries Inc., with headquarters in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., is the world's largest cranberry grower. In addition to Northland 100% Juice Cranberry Blends, the company produces cranberry products and other fruit juice beverages for the private label, foodservice and ingredient industries, and markets Northland brand fresh cranberries to supermarkets throughout the U.S. For more information about Northland's 100% Juice Cranberry Blends, log onto http://www.northlandcran.com .

    1  A nationally representative sample of cranberry juice drinkers were
       polled by Market Facts, August 1999.  Respondents were allowed more
       than one answer for why they drink cranberry juice.  80% cited taste;
       74% cited health benefits.
    2  Market Facts, August 1999.
    3  Beverage Industry, July 1999.
    4  Market Facts, August 1999.

SOURCE: Northland Cranberries Inc.