Acknowledgments
McCormick’s Management Committee celebrated 10 years on the New York Stock Exchange during 2009: (l-r) Mark Timbie, Chuck Langmead, Cile Perich, Alan Wilson, Gordon Stetz, Lawrence Kurzius. McCormick’s Management Committee celebrated 10 years on the New York Stock Exchange during 2009: (l-r) Mark Timbie, Chuck Langmead, Cile Perich, Alan Wilson, Gordon Stetz, Lawrence Kurzius.
In January 2010, FORTUNE magazine named McCormick to its “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Alan stated, “Our culture and people, coupled with our long track record of growth and performance, make us a great employer.
Vision: McCormick will be the leading global supplier of value-added flavor solutions. Building on strong brands and innovative products, we will be the recognized leader in providing superior quality, value and service to customers and consumers around the world.

Following his retirement as President and CEO in early 2008, Bob Lawless retired from the Board of Directors in 2009 after 11 years as Chairman.

During his tenure, Bob strengthened the Board’s governance by transitioning to primarily independent directors. He was instrumental in setting our strategy, inspiring performance and achieving results. I would like to personally thank him for his leadership and service. Also during 2009, Cile Perich, our Vice President – Human Relations, joined the Company’s Management Committee.

Led by your Board members, McCormick’s leadership team has the right experience and high motivation to manage through challenges and remain focused on the profitable growth of our business. Throughout this report you will see just a few of our 7,500 employees throughout our worldwide operations who have the talent and energy that are behind our success. I thank McCormick employees everywhere for their hard work and accomplishments. Together we are driving sales, managing costs and increasing cash and profit.

We appreciate your interest and support and hope that, as a McCormick shareholder, you share our confidence in our continued growth and success.

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Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this report are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including those related to: the expected results of operations of businesses acquired by us, the expected impact of the prices of raw materials on our results of operations and gross margins, the expected margin improvements, expected trends in net sales and earnings performance and other financial measures, annualized savings and other benefits from our restructuring activities, the expectations of pension funding, the holding period and market risks associated with financial instruments, the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations, the adequacy of internally generated funds and existing sources of liquidity, such as the availability of bank financing, our ability to issue additional debt or equity securities, and our expectations regarding purchasing shares of our Common Stock under the existing authorizations.

Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results. Results may be materially affected by external factors such as: damage to our reputation or brand name, business interruptions due to natural disasters or similar unexpected events, actions of competitors, customer relationships and financial condition, the ability to achieve expected cost savings and margin improvements, the successful acquisition and integration of new businesses, fluctuations in the cost and availability of raw and packaging materials, and global economic conditions generally which would include the availability of financing, interest and inflation rates as well as foreign currency fluctuations and other risks described in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2009.

Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.