Darling International Reports Solid Third Quarter 2004 Earnings Results

Irving, Texas, November 15, 2004 : Darling International Inc. (AMEX: DAR) today reported net income of $4.6 million, or $0.07 per share, in the third quarter of 2004, as compared to $2.7 million, or $0.04 per share, in the third quarter of 2003. The company also reported net sales of $80.2 million for the fiscal quarter ended October 2, 2004, as compared to $80.7 million for the third quarter of 2003. Third quarter 2004 results benefited from higher finished product prices and improved recovery of collection expenses, but were partially offset by lower raw material volumes from the cattle slaughter industry when compared to both the prior year and prior quarter. The company also realized a before tax gain of $2.8 million resulting from a settlement with past insurers. For the nine months ended October 2, 2004, Darling reported net income of $13.0 million, or $0.20 per share, as compared to $9.3 million, or $0.14 per share, for the nine months ended September 27, 2003. The company also reported net sales of $249.4 million, as compared to $227.9 million for the same period in 2003. Randall Stuewe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Darling, said, "Despite the challenges posed by lower raw material volumes, higher natural gas and diesel prices and continued export restrictions on finished meat products and by-products, we are pleased that we were able to deliver a strong performance in the third quarter. We believe that our results, while positively influenced by favorable commodity prices, reflect the success of our business model, including the baseline improvements we have made in our manufacturing operations and continued account growth in our Restaurant Services segment. They also underscore our continued focus on maintaining a strong balance sheet and reducing debt." Darling International will host a conference call to discuss the Company's third quarter fiscal 2004 financial results at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (10:00 a.m. Central Time) on Tuesday, November 16, 2004. To listen to the conference call, participants calling from within North America may dial 888-796-2701; international participants may dial 706-679- 5633. Please call approximately ten minutes before the start of the call to ensure that you are connected. The call will also be available as a live audio web cast that can be accessed on the company website at http://www.darlingii.com/investor.htm or www.fulldisclosure.com. Following its completion, a replay of the call can be accessed until November 23, 2004 by dialing 800-642-1687 or 706-645-9291 outside of North America. The access code for the replay is 1900390. The conference call will also be archived on the company’s website for seven days.