MELVILLE, N.Y., April 6, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:HAIN), a leading natural and organic products company in North America and Europe, congratulates Jeff Nathan, Culinary Development Consultant to Hain Celestial and Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Abigael's on Broadway, the largest gourmet kosher restaurant in the country, on his winning appearance on cable television's Food Network's highest rated television series, Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
Throwdown challenged Chef Jeff to prepare his award-winning chicken matzo ball soup in a cook-off against Chef Bobby Flay. After a close battle decided in a blind taste-test judged by two respected food authorities, Chef Jeff Nathan won the challenge, Best Chicken Matzo Ball Soup.
"Jeff, who is one of the world's great kosher chefs, has been a great asset on our product development team, particularly as most of our natural and organic products are certified kosher," said Irwin D. Simon, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hain Celestial. "Our brands, including Earth's Best(r) Organic Baby Food, Imagine Soups(r), Terra Chips(r) and our new and upcoming Kosher Valley(r) kosher poultry brand, have benefited from Jeff's expertise, as they taste great in addition to being good for you. We're proud to have Jeff on our team," concluded Irwin Simon.
In addition to Chef Jeff's contributions to Hain Celestial's product development team, he is the co-owner and operator of Abigael's on Broadway, an award-winning chef, restaurateur and the author of two best-selling cookbooks, Adventures in Jewish Cooking, and Jeff Nathan's Family Suppers.
The Hain Celestial Group
The Hain Celestial Group (Nasdaq:HAIN), headquartered in Melville, NY, is a leading natural and organic products company in North America and Europe. Hain Celestial participates in almost all natural food categories with well-known brands that include Celestial Seasonings(r), Terra(r), Garden of Eatin'(r), Health Valley(r), WestSoy(r), Earth's Best(r), Arrowhead Mills(r), MaraNatha(r), SunSpire(r), DeBoles(r), Hain Pure Foods(r), FreeBird(tm), Plainville Farms(r), Hollywood(r), Spectrum Naturals(r), Spectrum Essentials(r), Walnut Acres Organic(r), Imagine(r), Rice Dream(r), Soy Dream(r), Rosetto(r), Ethnic Gourmet(r), Yves Veggie Cuisine(r), Granose(r), Realeat(r), Linda McCartney(r), Daily Bread(tm), Lima(r), Grains Noirs(r), Natumi(r), JASON(r), Zia(r) Natural Skincare, Avalon Organics(r), Alba Botanica(r), Queen Helene(r), Tushies(r) and TenderCare(r). Hain Celestial has been providing "A Healthy Way of Life(tm)" since 1993. For more information, visit www.hain-celestial.com.
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This press release contains forward-looking statements within and constitutes a "Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks include but are not limited to general economic and business conditions; our ability to implement our business and acquisition strategy; our ability to effectively integrate our acquisitions; competition; availability and retention of key personnel; our reliance on third party distributors, manufacturers and suppliers; changes in customer preferences; international sales and operations; escalating fuel and commodity costs; the resolution of the SEC inquiry and litigation regarding our stock option practices; changes in, or the failure to comply with, government regulations; and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's reports filed with the SEC, including the annual report on Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, no assurance can be given as to future results, levels of activity and achievements and neither the Company nor any person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of these statements.