A2 & IdeaSphere to Bring A2 Milk to U.S.

A2 Corporation Partners with IdeaSphere to Bring A2 Milk to U.S.

Auckland, New Zealand., September 18, 2003— A2 Corporation today announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with United States-based IdeaSphere Inc. to introduce A2 milk to the U.S. market.

“IdeaSphere are an ideal partner for A2 Corporation to bring A2 Milk to the North American Market” commented Andrew Clarke, A2 Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer. “Their track record for identifying and bringing to market innovative science-based products is second to none and we are extremely positive about the long term future of this partnership. Corran McLachlan initiated discussions with IdeaSphere shortly before his untimely death, and it is immensely sad that both he and Howard Paterson, the two men who founded A2 Corporation, are not present to witness the first step in the realization of their vision – the globalisation of A2 Milk.”

“A2 Corporation is committed to licensing A2 milk in the major world markets” stated A2 Corporation Chairman James Guthrie. “We are excited to be working with IdeaSphere to bring A2 milk to the U.S. market. We believe that IdeaSphere, with their commitment to natural health and their demonstrated marketing expertise, are the best possible partner to bring A2 milk to North American consumers. ”

“A2 milk is a significant health discovery that’s supported by extensive research,” commented Greg Grochoski, IdeaSphere’s Chief of Research and Development. “A2 Corporation has created a commercially viable option that allows consumers to avoid a known cause of disease by consuming milk with all the benefits nature intended.”

IdeaSphere is committed to bringing consumers science-based products that optimize their daily health choices with the goal of living better. “We are continually searching the globe for new products and technologies that will fulfill our mission, and we believe that the breakthrough by Dr. McLachlan and the team at A2 Corporation provides a nutrition platform to positively impact millions of people through everyday consumption of products such as milk and ice cream,” said David Van Andel, Chairman and CEO of IdeaSphere.

About IdeaSphere Inc.

IdeaSphere, of Grand Rapids, Mich., provides healthy living solutions for today’s consumers of natural products. The company provides a full range of natural and organic products, including foods, beverages, nutritional supplements and personal and home care products and health information through traditional retail and online channels. The company recently announced its planned acquisition of the Twinlab brand, a market-leader of nutritional supplements and related products in the U.S., with annual sales of more than US$100 million. The company is an equity owner of Rebus LLC, a 25-year-old publisher of consumer health, nutrition and science information and creator of the world-renowned UC Berkley Wellness Letter and the Johns Hopkins Health After 50 newsletter.

IdeaSphere, a leader in changing the landscape of the natural products industry, brings together advanced science, consumer education and outcome-driven products that help consumers make choices to improve their lives both emotionally and physically. Chairman and CEO of IdeaSphere, David Van Andel, is also a board member of Alticor, formerly the Amway Corporation, which was co-founded by his father, Jay Van Andel with his partner Richard DeVos. In addition to Mr. Van Andel, the company’s executive management includes Bill Nicholson, the former Chief Operating Officer of Amway Corporation; Anthony Robbins, the best-selling author and personal development expert; and Mark Fox, who assisted in the launch of WebMD.

About A2 Corporation

A2 Corporation was formed with the intention of promoting global health through the production of A2 Milk.

The research which the company stemmed from was initiated in 1994. Dr. McLachlan was invited to conduct an independent assessment of a study performed by Bob Elliott, Professor of Child Health at the University of Auckland’s School of Medicine, on the connection between A1 beta casein (A1), a protein variant found in varying levels in most milk, and childhood diabetes.

Aside from affirming an observed link between childhood diabetes and A1 consumption, Dr.

McLachlan was struck by another remarkable correlation, that between heart disease mortality rates and A1 consumption across a number of developed countries. Dr. McLachlan’s analysis resulted in the conclusion that the consumption of A1 beta casein is likely to be a risk factor associated with the development of heart disease.

At this point A2 Corporation was founded to commission further research and to begin the process of bringing milk free of A1 beta casein to the consumer. A2 Corporation believes that milk is a wonderful source of nutrition, and an important part of a balanced diet. However, by excluding A1 it is possible to eliminate a putative risk factor that appears to be associated with its consumption.

Beta casein A1 is one of two major variants of the beta casein gene present in bovine populations – the other is beta casein A2. By selecting animals carrying only the A2 variant of beta casein, A2 milk and milk products can be produced that are free of beta casein A1 and thus avoid the implicated risks associated with consumption of the beta casein A1 protein. A2 Corporation holds a patent on the process for producing A2 milk, which includes a cost-effective DNA test for identifying cows that carry the A2 but not the A1 protein.

ENDS

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