EXHIBIT 99.1

ALLTRISTA TO ACQUIRE TILIA


                              CONTACT:  Martin E. Franklin
                                        Chairman and
                                        Chief Executive Officer
                                        Alltrista Corporation
                                        914-967-9400

                                        Investor Relations:
                                        Jeff Zack/Ankit Goyal/ Martha Rodriguez
                                        Press: Stacy Berns/ Emily Brunner
                                        Morgen-Walke Associates
                                        212-850-5600

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


                    ALLTRISTA ANNOUNCES DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT
                      TO ACQUIRE TILIA INTERNATIONAL, INC.


RYE, NEW YORK - MARCH 28, 2002 - ALLTRISTA CORPORATION (NYSE: ALC) announced
today that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement to acquire
the business of Tilia International, Inc. for $160 million. Based in San
Francisco, Tilia is a developer and distributor of home food preservation
products including FoodSaver(R), the industry's leading line of home vacuum
packaging systems. Pursuant to the agreement, Alltrista will acquire Tilia for
approximately $145 million in cash and $15 million in seller debt financing. In
addition, the agreement includes an earn-out provision with a total potential
payment in cash or Alltrista common stock of up to $25 million payable in 3
years, provided that certain earnings performance targets are met. Closing of
the transaction, expected in the second quarter, is subject to financing,
Hart-Scott-Rodino approval and other customary conditions.

The acquisition, which is expected to more than double Alltrista's consumer
products revenue, is consistent with Alltrista's strategic focus on food
preservation products and niche branded kitchen consumables. On a pro forma
basis, more than 70% of 2001 revenue of the combined companies would have been
derived from the consumer products business. For the year ended December 31,
2001, Tilia generated sales of $184 million. Tilia, which employs approximately
150 people, will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Alltrista. Linda S.
Graebner, Tilia's Chief Executive Officer, will continue to lead Tilia in that
role.

The acquisition is expected to be accretive to earnings per share immediately.
On a pro forma basis, the combined company generated 2001 revenue of $425.5
million and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization
(EBITDA) of $70.3 million, after adjusting for the net loss on Alltrista's
divestitures of assets and net special charges and reorganization expenses. On a
pro forma basis, diluted EPS for 2001 would have been $3.22, compared to $1.32
for Alltrista on a standalone basis and after adjusting to exclude the impact of
Alltrista's November 2001 asset divestitures.




To finance the acquisition, Alltrista plans to offer $150 million of senior
subordinated notes to qualified institutional buyers in a private placement
pursuant to Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, and refinance its
existing indebtedness with a new $100 million senior secured credit facility, of
which half is anticipated to be drawn at closing. In addition, financing sources
will also include a $23 million cash tax refund that Alltrista received on March
22nd as a result of the economic stimulus package signed on March 9, 2002. The
refund is in addition to the $15.7 million tax refund received in January 2002.
The senior subordinated notes will not be and have not been registered under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United
States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration
requirements.

Alltrista will host a telephone conference call today to review the proposed
acquisition. The call will be broadcast live over the Internet at 1:00 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time.

To access the call, please visit the Company's website at www.alltrista.com.

An online archive of the broadcast will be available within one hour of the
conclusion of the call and available until midnight on Wednesday, April 3rd.

Alltrista Corporation operates two distinct business segments, Consumer Products
and Materials Based. Consumer Products is the leading provider of home canning
products in North America, primarily under the Ball(R), Kerr(R) and Bernardin(R)
brands and also markets other home food preservation and preparation products.
The Materials Based group consists of manufacturing operations in injection
molded plastics and industrial plastics and is the country's largest producer of
zinc strip and fabricated products, including coin blanks for U.S. and foreign
mints.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
the federal securities laws and is intended to qualify for the Safe Harbor from
liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including statements regarding the outlook for Alltrista's markets and the
demand for its products and the financial impact to Alltrista of the proposed
acquisition of Tilia. These projections and statements are based on management's
estimates and assumptions with respect to future events and financial
performance and are believed to be reasonable, though are inherently uncertain
and difficult to predict. Actual results could differ materially from those
projected as a result of certain factors. A discussion of factors that could
cause results to vary are included in the Company's periodic reports filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2001.