FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2003

Elk Grove Village, IL, July 16, 2003 – John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (Nasdaq: JBSS) announced that it has received a subpoena for the production of documents and records from the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with an antitrust investigation of the peanut shelling industry. The Company expects to cooperate fully in the investigation.

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. is a processor, packager, marketer and distributor of shelled and 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 in this press release relating to matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements based on management’s beliefs and assumptions using currently available information and expectations as of the date hereof and are not guarantees of future performance. Consequently, the company's actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Such factors that could cause results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (i) sales activity for the Company's products; (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, almonds, peanuts 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; and (v) the timing and occurrence (or nonoccurrence) of other transactions and events which may be subject to circumstances beyond the company's control.