Raisio - Company Announcement

BENECOL® PRODUCTS LAUNCHED IN THAILAND

Raisio plc, Stock Exchange Release 18 December 2008 at 8 a.m. Finnish time 

BENECOL® PRODUCTS LAUNCHED IN THAILAND                                          

Raisio's partner in Thailand, Saha Pathanapibul plc (Sahapat), will launch a    
Benecol® dietary supplement drink containing plant stanol ester on the Thailand 
market under the brand Hearti Benecol. Thailand is the third Asian country in   
which Benecol products have been launched during 2008. Raisio will continue its 
preparations for reaching new market areas and launching interesting new        
products also in other parts of Asia where the markets for cholesterol-lowering 
functional foods are growing.                                                   

Raisio's partner Sahapat is a listed, an affiliated company of  the global Saha 
Group. Saha Group's product range includes foodstuffs and an extensive selection
of fast moving consumer products. The Group manufactures and distributes more   
than 30,000 products under more than 1,000 brands. In 2007, Sahapat's turnover  
was EUR 340 million. Sahapat has previous experience in the successful marketing
of functional foods in Thailand.                                                

Western ways and eating habits have also become more popular among the 65       
million inhabitants of Thailand. Thais are showing rapidly increasing interest  
in and awareness of the impact that diet has on health and the prevention of    
illnesses. More than thirty per cent of Thais over the age of thirty, and       
one-half of Thais over the age of fifty, have increased blood cholesterol       
levels.                                                                         

The Hearti Benecol dietary supplement drink will be sold in the country's       
largest cities, for example in store chains that are also known in the Western  
countries. Sahapat has an extensive distribution and sales network in Thailand. 
The product launch will be supported by a major advertisement campaign as well  
as seminars for health care professionals and store events in cooperation with a
Heart Association of Thailand.                                                  

Raisio's CEO Matti Rihko says: “The launch of Benecol products in Thailand is an
indication of Raisio's ability to enter new markets with major local partners.  
Experience has shown that the first player on the market creates a whole new    
category and often achieves a significant market position. Ultimately, however, 
it is the consumers who decide the success of products.”                        

Benecol products are currently sold in almost thirty countries worldwide. So    
far, over fifty published high quality clinical trials and thirteen years of the
safe use as a foodstuff ensure the safety and cholesterol lowering efficacy of  
plant stanol ester. Benecol®, the pioneering expert in cholesterol-lowering     
functional foods, is a global trademark owned by Raisio. Plant stanol ester is  
an ingredient patented worldwide by Raisio.                                     

Raisio plc                                                                      

Heidi Hirvonen                                                                  
Communications Manager                                                          
tel. +358 50 5673060                                                            

For further information, please contact:                                        
Matti Rihko, CEO, Raisio plc, tel. +358 400 830727  
Vincent Poujardieu, Vice President, Ingredients Division, tel. +32 49740676     



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