USA: September 9, 1999

   CHICAGO - Strategic Diagnostics Inc. has developed an inexpensive test
   to allow grain elevators to detect the presence of genetically altered
   soybeans as more buyers demand to know the genetic makeup of the crops
   they purchase.

   "The way we look at it, it's a necessary evil," Dwight Denham, global
   business unit manager for Newark, Del.-based SDI, said in an
   interview. "The GMO (genetically modified organism) issue is really
   heating up, and it's one people are going to have to deal with."

   A crop's genetic makeup has become increasingly important as overseas
   customers - especially those who buy grain for food and have concerns
   about the safety of GMO crops - call for genetically modified crops to
   be kept separate from traditional crops.

   Last week, leading grain exporter and processor Archer Daniels Midland
   Co. formally warned its grain suppliers to keep GMO crops separate
   from conventional ones.

   In March, European Union food labeling regulations became effective
   for foods derived from genetically modified seeds.

   SDI provides biotechnology-based diagnostic tests for agricultural,
   industrial and water-treatment applications. Its soybean test allows
   grain merchandisers who purchase crops from farmers to determine
   whether the oilseeds have been genetically altered to resist the
   Roundup Ready herbicide manufactured by Monsanto Co.. 

   In April, Monsanto agreed to license the use of proprietary technology
   to SDI so the company could make and sell the test kits to food
   processors, their suppliers and regulatory agencies.

   To use SDI's test, grain dealers need to crush a number of soybeans
   and mix them with water. The mixture is then tested with a strip
   similar to those used in pregnancy tests, which can detect the protein
   expressed by Roundup Ready soybeans in three to five minutes, Denham
   said.

   The strip test, which has been on the market since early July, costs
   about $5.75 per test. That compares to a much more sophisticated test
   that uses DNA technology to detect GMO crops and costs about $150 to
   $400 per sample, Denham said.

   As demand for non-GMO crops grows, Denham said the tests are becoming
   a more important source of revenue for the company.

   "People tell us they really want these (test) kits," Denham said.
   "It's a rapidly increasing source of revenue for us."

   Denham said the company is working with all major players in the U.S.
   grain industry for wider distribution and use of its strip test.

   REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

   (Strategic Diagnostics Web Site can be found at http://www.sdix.com)