CORPORATE PRESS RELEASE

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           CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES ANNOUNCES CASH TENDER OFFER FOR
         OUTSTANDING SENIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES AND CONSENT SOLICITATION

         WILMINGTON, MASS.; JANUARY 15, 2002: Charles River Laboratories
International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) announced today that its wholly-owned
subsidiary, Charles River Laboratories, Inc., has commenced a cash tender offer
for any and all of its outstanding 13.5% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009. The
tender offer will commence tomorrow, January 16, 2002 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern
Standard Time (EST) and expire at 9:00 a.m. EST on February 14, 2002, unless
extended or terminated by the Company.

         The tender offer is made upon the terms and conditions set forth in the
Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement dated January 16, 2002.
Under the terms of the offer, the Company will purchase the outstanding notes at
a price to be determined three business days prior to the expiration date of the
tender offer by reference to a fixed spread of 75 basis points over the yield to
maturity of the 6.00% U.S. Treasury Notes due August 15, 2004, plus accrued and
unpaid interest up to but not including the day of payment for the notes.
Included in this purchase price is a consent payment equal to $13 per $650
principal amount of the notes (the original principal amount of $1,000 having
been reduced as a result of the Company's August 2000 exercise of an option to
redeem 35% of the aggregate principal amount), which will be paid to those
holders who validly consent to the proposed amendments to the indenture
governing the notes. Payment for validly tendered notes is expected to be made
promptly following the expiration of the tender offer.

         In connection with the tender offer, the Company is seeking consents
from the holders of the notes to amend the indenture governing the notes by
eliminating certain restrictive provisions. Subject to certain conditions, each
holder of the notes who consents to the proposed amendments by validly tendering
such holder's notes on the later of January 30, 2002 or the date on which a
majority of the holders (in aggregate principal amount of the notes) has duly
executed the consents, unless extended, will receive the consent payment.
Tendered notes may not be withdrawn and consents may not be revoked after such
time and date except in certain limited circumstances.

         Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation is acting as the dealer manager
in connection with the tender offer and solicitation of consents. The
Information Agent is MacKenzie Partners, Inc., and the Depositary is State
Street Bank. Copies of the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement
and related materials are available by contacting the Information Agent at (212)
925-5500 (call collect). Persons with questions regarding the tender offer and
consent solicitation should contact Credit Suisse First Boston's Liability
Management Group at either (212) 538-8474 or (800) 820-1653.

         Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. is a holding company for
Charles River Laboratories, Inc. Both companies are publicly registered, and
each files separate financial statements and reports with the SEC. Charles River
Laboratories, Inc., based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, is a leading provider of
critical research tools and integrated support services that enable innovative
and efficient drug discovery and development. The Company is the global leader
in providing the animal research models required in research and development for
new drugs, devices and therapies. The Company also offers a broad and growing
portfolio of biomedical products and services that enable customers to reduce
cost, increase speed, and enhance productivity and effectiveness in drug
discovery and development. Charles River's customer base spans over 50
countries, and




includes all of the major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as
many leading hospitals and academic institutions. The Company operates 76
facilities in 15 countries worldwide. For more information, visit the Company's
web site at http://www.criver.com.

         CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This document includes
certain "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on
management's current expectations, and involve a number of risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
stated or implied by the forward looking statements, including acquisition
integration risks, special interest groups, contaminations, industry trends, new
displacement technologies, outsourcing trends, USDA and FDA regulation, changes
in law, special interests groups, continued availability of products and
supplies, personnel and control, and others that are described in more detail in
the Risk Factors contained in the Company's most recent annual report on Form
10-K, as of December 30, 2000, as well as its other periodic SEC filings. The
Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward looking statements,
and otherwise claims the safe harbor protections for forward looking statements
afforded under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.


For more information, contact:
Christopher DiFrancesco
Director, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
(ir@criver.com)
978-658-6000 ext. 1508