August 22, 2003                                       FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                                      Contact: Philip Paras, CFO
                                                               (315-926-8100)



PRESS RELEASE


     Seneca Foods  Corporation  (SENEA/Nasdaq  NM) announced  today that it will
restate its basic earnings per common share previously reported in its Form 10-K
for the  fiscal  year ended  March 31,  2003 and in its Form 10-Q for the period
ended June 28, 2003 in order to include the Company's participating  convertible
preferred  stock  in the  calculation  of  weighted  average  number  of  shares
outstanding  for basic earnings per share purposes which will reduce  previously
reported  basic earnings per share.  Previously  reported  diluted  earnings per
share are not affected and will remain unchanged.  In addition, the Company will
make certain  revisions to amounts  reported in its  statement of cash flows for
the period ended June 28, 2003 as previously  reported in its Form 10-Q for that
period. Such revisions will not affect the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
or Condensed  Consolidated  Statements of Income included in such Form 10-Q. The
Company  filed its Form 10-Q for the  period  ended  June 28,  2003  before  the
Company's independent  accountants had completed their review of that Form 10-Q.
The Company  will reflect  these  changes in an amended Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended  March 31,  2003 and each of the fiscal  years  included in that Form
10-K, and in an amended Form 10-Q for the period ended June 28, 2003 and each of
the fiscal periods included in that Form 10-Q.

     Seneca Foods Corporation is primarily a vegetable  processing  company with
manufacturing  facilities located throughout the United States. Its products are
sold under the Libby's(R), Aunt Nellie's Farm Kitchen(R), Stokely's(R), READ(R),
and  Seneca(R)  labels as well as  through  the  private  label  and  industrial
markets. In addition,  under an alliance with General Mills Operations,  Inc., a
successor to the  Pillsbury  Company and a subsidiary  of General  Mills,  Inc.,
Seneca  produces canned and frozen  vegetables,  which are sold by General Mills
Operations, Inc. under the Green Giant(R) label. Seneca's common stock is traded
on the Nasdaq National Stock Market under the symbols "SENEA" and "SENEB".