Dean Foods is Founding Reporter of The Climate Registry

WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dean Foods Company has become a Founding Reporter of The Climate Registry by being among the first to join the organization. The Climate Registry is a non-profit organization established to measure and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in a common, accurate and transparent manner consistent across industry sectors and borders. Thirty-nine U.S. states, six Canadian provinces, three Native American tribes, two Mexican states and the District of Columbia are the founders of the organization.

"Dean Foods has demonstrated exemplary environmental leadership by courageously stepping forward to support The Climate Registry in its preliminary stages. We are deeply grateful for their integral support in helping to address the challenge of climate change," said Gina McCarthy, Chair of The Climate Registry.

A leader in the dairy industry, Dean Foods has demonstrated environmental stewardship on several fronts by voluntarily committing to measure, independently verify, and publicly report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on an annual basis using The Climate Registry General Reporting protocol. The protocol is based on the internationally recognized GHG measurement standards of the World Resources Institute and World Business Council on Sustainability.

"Dean Foods is honored to be a Founding Reporter of The Climate Registry," said Michelle Goolsby, Executive Vice President, Development, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs for Dean Foods. "We operate more than 100 manufacturing plants in 35 states and have an extensive, nationwide distribution system made up of more than 13,000 trucks and trailers. This makes the monitoring and reporting of our greenhouse gas emissions a significant undertaking. Together with The Climate Registry, we look forward to improving our awareness and increasing our efforts around sustainable business practices."

Dean Foods Company is the largest processor and distributor of milk and other dairy products in the United States. The Company sells milk and a full range of other dairy products under more than 50 well-known local and regional brands and a wide array of private labels. The Company's WhiteWave Foods division produces a variety of nationally-branded dairy and dairy-related products, such as Horizon Organic(R) dairy products, Silk(R) soymilk, and International Delight(R) coffee creamers. WhiteWave Foods' Rachel's Organic(R) brand is the largest organic milk brand and second largest organic yogurt brand in the United Kingdom. The Company recently released its first Corporate Responsibility Update, which is available on its website at http://www.deanfoods.com/.

About The Climate Registry

Incorporated March 2007 in Washington, DC, The Climate Registry provides accurate and transparent measurement of GHG emissions and ensures consistency of measurement metrics across industry sectors and borders. The Climate Registry's accounting infrastructure supports both voluntary and regulatory programs. For more information please visit, http://www.theclimateregistry.org/.

Contact:

Justin Bilow (213) 891-1444 ext. 127