Neogen’s Veratox® for Peanut Allergen receives AOAC-RI validation

LANSING, Mich., May 14, 2003 — Neogen Corporation announced today that it has received Performance Tested Method status from the Association of Official Analytical Chemists International Research Institute (AOAC-RI) for its rapid test to detect peanut proteins in food products.

The AOAC-RI conferred its Performance Tested Method Status No. 030403 on Veratox® for Peanut Allergen after its independent performance review. In its certification, the AOAC-RI stated the test kit: "has been validated and certified as a Performance Tested Method by [AOAC-RI] as an effective method for the detection of peanut proteins at levels as low as 5 ppm in a variety of foods, including breakfast cereal, cookies, ice cream and milk chocolate."

Neogen is the recognized leader in the development and marketing of diagnostic tests to detect the inadvertent, unlabeled contamination of food with allergens. Unlabeled food allergens have been the cause of the majority of food recalls in recent years. In addition to the peanut tests, Neogen’s line of food allergen test kits includes rapid tests for eggs, milk and almonds. Each of Neogen’s food allergen tests has been developed in close cooperation with the University of Nebraska’s Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP).

"Each time we receive a third party validation on any of our tests, it provides further assurance to our many customers," said Dr. Mark Mozola, Neogen’s vice president of research and development. "We are very pleased to see that our test kit correctly identified as negative all 32 potentially cross-reactive proteins the AOAC-RI used to challenge the test kit. The challenges simulate conditions the test is likely to encounter in a wide variety of processing environments, and it performed flawlessly."

Neogen’s food allergen tests are available in both screening (Alert®) and quantitative (Veratox®) formats. The tests are used by food processors to help protect food allergic consumers by quickly determining if food allergen residues exist in the processing environment, raw materials, or final product anywhere in the production cycle.

Neogen Corporation (Nasdaq: NEOG) develops and markets products and services dedicated to food and animal safety. The Company’s Food Safety Division markets dehydrated culture media, and diagnostic test kits to detect foodborne bacteria, natural toxins, genetic modifications, food allergens, ruminant by-products, drug residues, plant diseases and sanitation concerns.

Certain portions of this news release that do not relate to historical financial information constitute forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Actual future results and trends may differ materially from historical results or those expected depending on a variety of factors listed in
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in the Company’s most recently filed Form 10-K.