Diamond(R) Foods Announces New 100-Calorie Packs of Emerald Snack Nuts to Usher in a Healthy New Year

Emerald Nuts, 100 Calorie Pack. Natural Walnuts & Almonds. 7-ct box. (Photo: Business Wire)

SAN FRANCISCO-- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Diamond Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:DMND), a leading branded food company specializing in processing, marketing and distributing culinary nuts and snack products, announced today that it will be adding Emerald snack nuts in 100-calorie serving packs to its product line in January 2009. The new 100-calorie packs – Natural Almonds, Natural Walnuts & Almonds, Cocoa Roast Almonds and Dry Roasted Almonds – are being offered to retailers today for pre-ordering to ensure national availability in the new year.

Emerald 100-calorie packs feature four signature products.

• Cocoa Roast Almonds: Emerald’s Cocoa Roast Almonds are sweet, low-sodium snacks that contain no added calories compared to regular almonds. The nuts are roasted with a baked-on cocoa flavor for a mess-free dark chocolate taste without added guilt.
• Natural Walnuts & Almonds: Emerald is the first snack nut brand to offer this pairing which contains the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids found naturally in walnuts with the protein, iron and Vitamin E found in almonds.
• Emerald Natural Almonds: These are a sodium-free snack rich in Vitamin E. They are high in magnesium and fiber - two proven energy boosters.
• Emerald Dry Roasted Almonds: Packed with heart-healthy unsaturated fat, almonds are also rich in antioxidants, vitamin E and calcium, among other nutrients.

“The trend in the snack aisle is towards 100 calorie-packs and in January, Emerald will offer nutritionally dense products in a controlled calorie format,” said Andrew Burke, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Diamond Foods. “Those looking to improve their eating habits without sacrificing taste will find unique combinations of nuts and flavors, such as Natural Walnuts & Almonds and Cocoa Roast Almonds, unavailable anywhere else. Rather than snacking on empty calories, consumers will find that all of our 100-calorie packs are a source of iron and protein, free of trans fats and offer 100 calories of nutritious energy.”

Each 100-calorie pack contains approximately 0.6 oz of Emerald nuts and are sold in boxes of seven (SRP $3.69).The Emerald snack line is distributed nationally in a variety of retail outlets and is also available online.

About Diamond

Diamond is a leading branded food company specializing in processing, marketing and distributing culinary nuts and snack products under the Diamond?, Emerald? and Pop Secret? brands.

Corporate Web Site: www.diamondfoods.com

Consumer Web Sites: www.emeraldnuts.com/ and www.diamondnuts.com/ and www.popsecret.com

Diamond Foods, Inc.

Hillary Houser, 415-445-7439 (Media)

Director of Public Relations

hhouser@diamondfoods.com

Bob Philipps, 415-445-7426 (Investors)

VP, Treasury & Investor Relations

bphilipps@diamondfoods.com