MNSHARP PRESS RELEASE

Dec. 8, 2005

D&D Commodities Ltd. a MNSHARP work site, recognized Nov. 17

Workplace safety and health representatives from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) will recognize D&D Commodities Ltd. for its achievement as a Minnesota Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (MNSHARP) work site at noon, Nov. 17, at Hwy. 75 S., Stephen, Minn.

MNSHARP is a Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) program that recognizes companies where managers and employees work together to develop safety and health programs that go beyond basic compliance with all applicable OSHA standards and result in immediate and long-term prevention of job-related injuries and illnesses. DLI Commissioner Scott Brener will address the company and present the award.

"We are pleased to reward D&D Commodities Ltd. for striving toward and achieving MNSHARP status at its work site," said Scott Brener, Department of Labor and Industry commissioner. "We are excited to reward them for their ongoing efforts to reduce on-the-job injuries and illnesses."

To achieve MNSHARP status, D&D Commodities Ltd. worked with MNOSHA Workplace Safety Consultation to assemble a comprehensive safety and health program that includes:  management leadership and employee involvement; an allocation of resources to address safety issues; systems that identify and control workplace hazards; and a plan for employee safety training and education.

"We are very proud our employees have recognized they can produce premium quality products in a very safe working environment," said Dick Hebert, D&D Commodities Ltd. president. "The preservation and improvement of employee safety is an integral part of our company mission. Without our employees, we simply do not exist. Therefore, we thank them for their commitment and accomplishment. We also thank Workplace Safety Consultation for its knowledge and support, and for allowing D&D to participate in this very important safety program."

D&D Commodities Ltd. is a manufacturer of premium nutritional products for caged and wild birds, small animals and other wildlife under various brands and trademarks owned by the company. In addition, D&D provides product formulation, blending and packaging services for many private label and exclusive brand customers. Founded in 1987, the company has grown from a small firm housed in a trailer to a multimillion dollar international corporation with multiple product lines and 90 employees.

Commissioner Brener and other DLI representatives will commemorate the company's employee-employer partnership by presenting a MNSHARP flag and a certificate that exempts the company from OSHA Compliance scheduled inspections for one year.
MNSHARP began in Minnesota in 1996. D&D Commodities Ltd. is one of 21 active MNSHARP work sites in Minnesota. For more information about MNSHARP, visit www.doli.state.mn.us/mnsharp.html.