LONDON, May 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tate & Lyle (LSE: TATE.L; ADR: TATYY) announces that its US subsidiary, Tate & Lyle Sucralose, Inc. filed suit yesterday in the US District Federal Court for Central Illinois against a Chinese manufacturing group based in Hebei province, as well as six importers of sucralose into the US. The proceedings allege infringement of patented sucralose manufacturing technology in respect of sucralose manufactured in China. Robert Gibber, General Counsel of Tate & Lyle said "We have a robust estate of patents and will, as we have always said, vigorously defend and enforce them, protecting our trade secrets and preventing others from infringing our proprietary rights." The defendants named in the Complaint are manufacturers Hebei Sukerui Science and Technology Co., Ltd (which also trades as Hebei Province Chemical Industry Academe, Dongfang Biological Chemical Company, Hebei Province Chemical Industry Academe Experimental Factory, Hebei Sukerei Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Hebei Sukerei Science and Technology and Shijiazhuang Hecheng Baite Chemical Technology Co., Ltd.), Hebei Research Institute of Chemical Industry and Hebei Chemical Engineering and Industry Research Institute (which also trades as Hebei Chemical Engineering and Industry Research Institute). The named importers are Profood International, Inc., Forbest International, Inc., Beijing Forbest Trade Co., Ltd., MTC Industries, Inc., JSZ International, Inc. and Amax Nutrasource, Inc. About Tate & Lyle: Tate & Lyle is a world leading manufacturer of renewable food and industrial ingredients. It uses innovative technology to transform corn, wheat and sugar into value-added ingredients for customers in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, paper, packaging and building industries. The Company is a leader in cereal sweeteners and starches, sugar refining, value added food and industrial ingredients, and citric acid. Tate & Lyle is the world number-one in industrial starches and is the sole manufacturer of SPLENDA(R) Sucralose. Headquartered in London, Tate & Lyle is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol TATE.L. In the US its ADRs trade under TATYY. The Company operates more than 60 production facilities in 28 countries, throughout Europe, the Americas and South East Asia. It employs 6,700 people in its subsidiaries with a further 4,500 employed in joint ventures. Sales in the year to March 31, 2005 totaled 3.3 billion pounds Sterling. Additional information can be found on http://www.tateandlyle.com/. SPLENDA(R) is a trademark of McNeil Nutritionals, LLC DATASOURCE: Tate & Lyle CONTACT: Investor Relations - Mark Robinson, +44-20-7626-6525, Media - Ferne Hudson, +44-20-7626-6525, both for Tate & Lyle PLC Web site: http://www.tateandlyle.com/

Copyright