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Ralph D. McRae
Chairman and CEO
Leading Brands, Inc.
Toll Free: 1-800-729-2746 ext. 238
[email protected]

LEADING BRANDS APPOINTS NEW CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

VANCOUVER, Canada, -- August 15, 2000-Leading Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: LBIX), Canada's largest independent, fully integrated food and beverage brand management company, today announced the appointment of Derek Henrey as its Chief Financial Officer. He replaces Jack Peck, who left to pursue other opportunities.

Mr. Henrey, 37, joins Leading Brands from a large regional grocery chain with sales of approximately US$1.5 Billion, where he served as Director of Business Planning & Analysis as well as Controller. He is a Chartered Accountant, who formerly practiced with KPMG, one of the Big 5 accounting firms. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree Honours from the University of British Columbia.

In announcing the appointment, Ralph McRae, Leading Brand's Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Derek brings to our Company a broad background in all aspects of financial management. He has direct experience in legal, tax, treasury, and financial activities. He has also been instrumental in negotiating major agreements and carrying out due diligence for strategic acquisitions. We strongly believe that Mr. Henrey's experience will be a significant factor in our achieving Leading Brands' strategic goals." (more)

About Leading Brands, Inc.:

Headquartered in Richmond, B.C., Canada, Leading Brands, Inc. is the largest independent food and beverage integrated brand management company in Canada. The Company's unique Integrated Distribution System (IDS) offers turnkey, one-stop shopping to food and beverage brand owners. Its Quick.com, Inc. subsidiary is building a consumer home replenishment system for the Internet economy.

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NOTE: Any statements that are not historical facts contained in this release are forward-looking statements. It is possible that the assumptions made by management for purposes of such statements may not materialize. Actual results may differ materially from those projected or implied in any forward-looking statements. Such statements may involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those relating to product demand, pricing, market acceptance, the effect of economic conditions, including currency fluctuations, intellectual property rights, and the outcome of competitive products, risks in product development, the results of financing effort, the ability to complete transactions, and other risks identified in this release and the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.