Clewiston, FL – October 4, 2004 – U.S. Sugar Corporation has received national honors from the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) for an innovative food safety program in its Molasses and Liquid Feed Department.

The Company was one of only three companies in the United States honored for innovative efforts to protect consumer safety during the AFIA Fall Forum in Baltimore, Maryland.

“Our team is constantly looking for ways to improve customer satisfaction,” said Patrick Whidden, Director of the Molasses & Liquid Feed Dept. at U.S. Sugar. “Implementation of this particular program has allowed us to offer our customers further confidence in Suga-Lik“ products.”

The Molasses and Liquid Feed Department uses pure sugar cane molasses, an important by-product of sugar cane processing, to produce Suga-Lik® brand liquid feed products, the leading choice of cattlemen in the Southeastern United States for supplements.

The Company designed and implemented a system of pipes and pumps at their facility that prevents cross-contamination of individual feed ingredients, as well as cross-contamination from one mixture to the next. This comprehensive system removes more than 99 percent of the residue from the load out bin, resulting in a safer product.

Additionally, they have installed dedicated conveyance lines and storage bins for each of the liquid and dry ingredients received by the facility. The Company has also introduced locks on all incoming liquid ingredient lines. At every step of the process, this innovative team has taken measures to provide the safest and highest quality product available.

As an added safeguard, U.S. Sugar Corporation voluntarily participates in third party certification through the Facility Certification Institute’s (FCI) Restricted Use Protein Program. This strict certification requires a rigorous inspection of the facility and the company’s processes and procedures. The FCI Seal of Approval ensures that a feed supplier is not using banned protein products.

The American Feed Industry Association is the national trade association representing the manufacturers of formula livestock and poultry feed produced in the United States.