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

PORTFOLIO PR
Paul Holm/Sheldon Lutch
CONTACTS: 212-736-9224
[email protected]
[email protected]

Leading Brands Enters Into Exclusive License Agreement With IN ZONE Brands, Inc.

VANCOUVER, B.C.--Sept. 11, 2000--Leading Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:LBIX), Canada's largest independent, fully integrated food and beverage brand management company, today announced that it has entered into a License Agreement with IN ZONE Brands, Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia.

The agreement grants Leading Brands the exclusive, royalty free right to use the "BellyWashers"™ trademark in connection with the sale, marketing and distribution in this line of novelty children's drinks.

BellyWashers™ are 100% Vitamin-C fortified drinks packaged in high kid-appeal, collectable, refillable, dishwasher-safe bottles that are designed in the likeness of such hugely popular children's characters as Saban Entertainment's Power Rangers™. The products' play value does not diminish once kids finish the drink, appealing to kids and moms alike.

IN ZONE has a multi-year licensing agreement with Saban Merchandising, Inc. to develop a collectable line of BellyWashers™ using Saban's Power Rangers™ characters, which were declared the #1 Male Action Toy Brand of the decade by NPD Group, Inc., the toy industry sales tracking organization. With over $5 billion in worldwide retail sales since its incorporation in 1993, Power Rangers™ has been named the top selling action figure of the decade by NPD Group, Inc.

"Kid appeal is the driving force behind everything we develop," says IN ZONE's President and CEO, Jim Scott. "New BellyWashers™ characters and flavors will be released every 60 to 90 days and shall be available to Leading Brands once approved for sale in Canada. IN ZONE already is developing additional BellyWashers™."

In announcing the contract, Ralph McRae, Leading Brand's Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We expect BellyWashers™ not only to please kids and parents, but our shareholders as well, as sales within Canada grow during the next few years."

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.