FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                               For further information, contact:
                                              Robert C. Cantwell or Al Soricelli
                                                                  (973) 401-6500


          B&G Foods Sells Burns & Ricker, Inc. to Nonni's Food Company


         PARSIPPANY,  N.J. (Jan. 17, 2001) -- B&G Foods,  Inc.  announced  today
that it has completed the sale of its wholly owned  subsidiary,  Burns & Ricker,
Inc., to Nonni's Food Company,  Inc. Under the stock purchase  agreement entered
into  today  by B&G and  Nonni's,  B&G sold all of the  issued  and  outstanding
capital stock of Burns & Ricker for an undisclosed  cash amount.  B&G will apply
the net  cash  proceeds  from the sale of  Burns &  Ricker  toward  the  partial
prepayment of indebtedness  under B&G's senior credit  facility.  Burns & Ricker
produces  lines of bagel chips,  pita crisps,  biscotti,  and crispini,  a crisp
flatbread made without yeast.

         B&G Foods,  Inc. is a diversified food products company with 2000 sales
of approximately $350 million.  The company was acquired in December 1996 by the
New York investment firm Bruckmann, Rosser and Sherrill & Co., L.P. B&G Foods is
headquartered  in  Parsippany,  N.J.,  and  manufactures  and sells B&G(R) brand
pickles,  peppers,  and specialty  items,  Trappey(R)  peppers,  Vermont Maid(R)
syrup,  Regina(R)  wine  vinegars,  Brer  Rabbit(R)  molasses,  Red Devil(R) hot
sauces,  Maple Grove Farms(R)  syrups,  salad  dressings,  and specialty  items,
B&M(R)  baked  beans,  Underwood(R)  canned  meats,  Accent(R)  seasonings,  Las
Palmas(R)  Mexican  foods,  Joan of Arc(R) beans,  Polaner(R)  fruit spreads and
spices,  plus the licensed products for Emeril Lagasse's new Emeril's Essence(R)
seasonings, dressings, marinades, and pepper sauces.

         Nonni's Food Company, Inc., headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., manufactures
and sells Nonni's Biscotti(R),  Cape Cod Cranberry Cookies(R),  and other cookie
brands.