FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2000

JOHN B. SANFILIPPO REPORTS STRONG SECOND-QUARTER,
SIX-MONTH RESULTS ON SALES GAINS
Second-Quarter EPS 50 Cents vs. 21 Cents in Year-Ago Period;
Six-Month EPS Up to 57 Cents from 24 Cents in a Year-Ago Period

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill., January 26, 2000-John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (Nasdaq: JBSS) today announced continued profitability improvement for the second quarter and first six months of fiscal 2000. The favorable results were driven by revenue gains and gross margin increases for both periods.

Second-Quarter Net Income More Than Doubles
Net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2000 ended December 23, 1999, grew 9.4 percent to $124.0 million from $113.3 million during the fiscal 1999 second quarter ended December 24, 1998. The Consumer and Food Service distribution channels drove the strong sales results.

Net income for the second quarter was $4.6 million, or 50 cents per share (basic and diluted), compared with $1.9 million, or 21 cents per share (basic and diluted), for the second quarter of fiscal 1999. The fiscal 2000 second-quarter gross margin was 19.0 percent of net sales versus 16.1 percent for the same period in fiscal 1999. Improved commodity positions and favorable volume contributed to the margin enhancement.

Selling and administrative expenses for the fiscal 2000 second quarter were 11.5 percent of net sales compared with 11.3 percent in the year-ago period. Administrative expenses were favorable to the prior-year period mainly as a result of the reorganization in fiscal 1999, while selling expenses increased due to promotions and commissions related to increased net sales. Operating income grew to $9.3 million, or 7.5 percent of net sales, compared with $5.4 million, or 4.8 percent of net sales, for the fiscal 1999 second quarter. Interest expense for the fiscal 2000 second quarter was $1.8 million versus $2.3 million in the same period last year.

Profitability Up Sharply for First Half of Fiscal 2000
For the first half of fiscal 2000, net sales were $203.6 million, an 8.8 percent increase over net sales of $187.2 million for the same time period in fiscal 1999. Year-to-date net income improved to $5.2 million, or 57 cents per share (basic and diluted), compared with $2.2 million, or 24 cents per share (basic and diluted), for the first six months of fiscal 1999.

The first-half gross margin was 17.7 percent compared with 15.8 percent for the same period of fiscal 1999. Selling and administrative expenses as a percent of net sales were 11.8 percent for the first half of fiscal 2000 compared with 11.5 percent in the year-ago period. Operating income improved to $12.0 million, or 5.9 percent of net sales, versus $8.1 million, or 4.3 percent of net sales for the first half of fiscal 1999.

For the fiscal 2000 period, interest expense declined to $3.7 million year-to-date from $4.6 million for the first six months of fiscal 1999. The reduction in interest expense was the result of improved earnings and reduced working capital requirements.

Positive Momentum for 2000
"We are extremely pleased with the operating results of the second quarter of fiscal 2000," stated Jasper B. Sanfilippo, chairman and chief executive officer. "This performance validates senior management's efforts and actions to enhance performance and increase shareholder value. It is our intention to intensify our efforts to maintain and improve upon our positive momentum. I look forward to continuing this trend throughout fiscal 2000."

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. is a processor, packager, marketer and distributor of shelled, in-shell nuts and sesame sticks that are sold under a variety of private labels and under the company's Evon's^®, Fisher^®, Snack 'N Serve Nut Bowl^TM, Sunshine Country^®, Flavor Tree^® and Texas Pride^TM brand names. The company also markets and distributes a diverse product line of other food and snack items.

The statements of Jasper B. Sanfilippo in this release are forward looking. These forward-looking statements are based on the company's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties. Consequently, the company's actual results could differ materially. Among the factors that could cause results to differ materially from current expectations are: (i) sales activity for the company's products for the remainder of the fiscal year; (ii) changes in the availability and costs of raw materials for the production of the company's products; (iii) fluctuations in the value of the company's inventories of pecans, walnuts or other nuts due to fluctuations in the market prices of these nuts; (iv) the company's ability to lessen the negative impact of competitive pressures by reducing its selling prices and increasing sales volume while at the same time maintaining profit margins by reducing costs; (v) the time and occurrence (or non-occurrence) of other transactions and events which may be subject to circumstances beyond the company's control.

For further information on John B. Sanfilippo free of charge via fax,
simply dial 1-800-PRO-INFO and enter "JBSS."
Or visit the company's website at www.fishernuts.com