Oslo, Norway, 25 July 2000

Nutri Pharma ASA, the Norwegian functional foods company, today announced the appointment of Joerg Gruenwald, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer of the company. Dr Gruenwald is a leading figure in the nutraceutical area with over 180 scientific publications in the field of phytotherapy, dietary supplements, cardiovascular disease and arteriosclerosis, and has authored a number of books in this field.

He has been awarded numerous professional appointments, and is a member of various professional societies, which among others include the US Pharmacopoeia Dietary Supplements Advisory Panel on Botanicals and the European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy.

Dr Gruenwald has presented his work at over 120 scientific conferences world-wide, and brings to the company over 20 years´ experience, expertise and exceptional capabilities. Dr Torbjørn Bjerke, who was set to join the company on 1 July as CSO, will continue to serve on the company´s Scientific Advisory Board Dr Gruenwald gained his BSc in biology (1975) and his Ph.D. in Botany (1978) from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He completed his post-doctoral pathology training at Semmelweis Medical University in Hungary (1980) and at the University of Groningen (1981) in the Netherlands. Dr Gruenwald has held numerous professional appointments with distinguished institutions, which include the position of Director of Clinical Research and Medical Director at Lichtwer Pharma GmbH, Berlin, Germany, from 1988-1995. In 1996, he founded PhytoPharm Consulting, of which he is President and for whom he will continue to work in this position.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for me to join such an innovative company as Nutri Pharma, which is set to continue to develop functional foods of the highest quality based on firm scientific principles" said Dr Gruenwald. "I am most excited at the prospect of driving the R&D process in delivering the platform on which to launch new and effective products in the management of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes".

"The development of superior products based on firm scientific principles is a cornerstone of the Nutri Pharma strategy to create value added for its consumers, and Joerg is the ideal candidate to facilitate the realisation of this objective", commented Michael Oredsson, Chief Executive Officer of Nutri Pharma. "While Joerg´s impressive list of accomplishments and experience to date will benefit Nutri Pharma, the company also has much to gain by his continued exposure and active involvement in the functional food and natural ingredient industry. I am confident that this will add to the process of converting innovative products into the creation of shareholder value".

Nutri Pharma ASA, based in Oslo, Norway, was founded by Dr Lars Høie, MD, PhD (Appl) and Trond Syvertsen (MBA) in 1993. The company is focusing on innovative functional foods based on proprietary soy-technology, and is committed to addressing the growing incidence of prevalent lifestyle disorders, including elevated cholesterol levels, obesity and type 2 diabetes. In March, Nutri Pharma signed a deal with Scania Dairies, which is in a joint venture with Danone, for cholesterol-lowering yoghurts in Sweden. In April, Nutri Pharma signed a co-branding agreement with Del Monte Foods International for cholesterol-lowering Abacor® fruit and vegetable juices. In May, the company signed an agreement with a leading bread manufacturer in the UK to develop a cholesterol-lowering breads. Early June, Nutri Pharma successfully launched Scan Diet (tm) with General Nutrition Corporation in the US. Nutri Pharma´s weight-loss product Nutrilett® has held a market-leading position in the Nordic Countries since its launch in 1989 with aggregated sales in excess of $150 million. In May 2000, Nutri Pharma listed on the Main Board of the Oslo Stock Exchange, after a successful IPO in April, where NOK 500m was raised, and the company is now a composite of the total index.

This press release contains forward looking statements that reflect Nutri Pharma´s expectations regarding future events. Forward looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events could differ materially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors including the uncertainties relating to the development of new products and the regulatory process.

For further information, please contact:

Michael Oredsson, CEO Nutri Pharma ASA.TEL: +45 3338 4000
David Speechly, PhD, MBA. Noonan/Russo Ltd.TEL: 0171 726 4452