Compass Minerals’ Sifto Canada Corp. Introduces Expanded Line of Specialty Food Salts

Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP) is expanding its line of specialty food salts under its Sifto^™ brand for Canadian consumers.

"Increasing consumer interest in gourmet cooking and in preparing more meals at home because of dietary preferences and tough economic conditions is driving demand for a greater variety of specialty salts,” said Jerry Bucan, vice president and general manager of Compass Minerals’ consumer and industrial business.

The specialty salt category in North America grew approximately 10 percent from 2007 to 2008, based on data from The Nielsen Company.

"The new expanded specialty salt line from our Sifto Canada Corp. subsidiary offers Canadian consumers more options for cooking at home,” Bucan said. "It also gives retailers the potential for higher sales and margins.”

Three new products – gourmet sea salt, low-sodium salt and salt substitute – will join existing table and Kosher salt products in Compass Minerals’ expanded line of specialty salts. Sifto-branded products will be available to consumers throughout Canada by year end. The new product introduction will be accompanied by newly designed, more contemporary labeling for all of Sifto’s consumer food salt products.

About Sifto Canada Corp.

Sifto Canada Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Compass Minerals, sells salt and other minerals to customers throughout Canada. As one of Canada’s favorite brands, Sifto is well-known for its high-quality food salt, water conditioning minerals, pool salt, mined rock salt for highway and consumer deicing, agricultural minerals, and high-grade branded and private label mineral products for consumer and industrial uses. It operates the world’s largest rock salt mine and is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario.

About Compass Minerals

Based in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Compass Minerals is a leading producer of minerals, including salt, sulfate of potash specialty fertilizer and magnesium chloride. The company provides highway deicing salt to customers in North America and the United Kingdom and specialty fertilizer to growers worldwide. Compass Minerals also produces consumer deicing and water conditioning products, ingredients used in consumer and commercial foods, and other mineral-based products for consumer, agricultural and industrial applications. Compass Minerals also provides records management services to businesses throughout the U.K.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the Company's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially. The differences could be caused by a number of factors including those factors identified in Compass Minerals International's annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 22, 2008. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect future events or developments.

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