LOS ANGELES, Jun 15, 2006 / --- Last month, the Hain Celestial Group entered into advanced negotiations to acquire assets of the Linda McCartney® brand products and meat free business. This week, the company announced its acquisition of the brand from the H. J. Heinz Company, including the manufacturing facility based in Fakenham, England.

In a statement released by the McCartney Family, they commented, "We are delighted to be joining together with Hain Celestial, a leading light in organic, natural products, to produce an even better range of foods than we have ever made before. We believe that the visions of both our companies fit perfectly with our desire to encourage more and more people to eat pure, vegetarian food."

During her life, Linda McCartney is known for her work on animal rights and popularized a meatless diet through her best-selling cookbooks. This led to the creation of a line of frozen vegetarian meals called "Linda McCartney's" under the company Linda McCartney Foods.

The company became a pioneer and leader in the meat-free category with its range of sausages, ready meals, and pastry products. Today, the Linda McCartney range is recognized for its vegetarian credentials while providing healthy and tasty meal solutions.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to be accretive to the earnings of Hain Celestial during its fiscal year 2007.