Disposal

Disposal 

    LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2002--

Tate & Lyle Disposes of Chinese Sugar Factories

Tate & Lyle PLC announces the sale of Well Pure Ltd ('Well Pure') to a
group of private Chinese investors. Well Pure is a Hong Kong
registered company that holds majority interests in two sugar
factories based in Guangxi province, southern China.

The proceeds of £5 million (HK$62 million) have been received in cash
and used to reduce Group debt.

Simon Gifford, Group Finance Director Tate & Lyle PLC said: 'This
disposal completes our exit from investments in sugar assets in China
and continues our ongoing strategy to divest non-core or
underperforming businesses or product lines.'

For more information contact:

Mark Robinson:  020 7626 6525
Chris Fox: 020 7626 6525 (press)



Note to Editor

Tate & Lyle is a world leader in carbohydrate ingredients. Our core
competence is to take basic carbohydrates - corn, wheat or sugar - and
add value to these raw materials through technology. As a result of
continuous innovation we offer an ever-wider product portfolio of
versatile and functional ingredients. These products include Cereal
Sweeteners, Starches, Sugars and Citric Acid. Our products have wide
applications in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, paper,
packaging and building industries.

With headquarters in London, the Group has 8,500 employees and 50
plants in 24 countries. Sales in the 53 weeks to 31 March 2002
totalled £3.9bn. Tate & Lyle ordinary shares trade on the London Stock
Exchange under TATE.L. In the US, ADRs trade on the NASD OTC Bulletin
Board under TATYY (each ADR is equal to four ordinary shares).
Additional information can be found at the website
www.tateandlyle.com.

   Short Name: Tate & Lyle PLC
   Category Code: DIS
   Sequence Number: 00001413
   Time of Receipt (offset from UTC): 20021212T095702+0000