Alto Ingredients Awarded Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Certification

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO), a leading producer of specialty alcohols and essential ingredients, announced its Illinois Corn Processing (ICP) facility is now ICH Q7 certified.

Mike Kandris, Alto Ingredients’ CEO, said, “Our commitment to provide our customers the absolute best quality products is reflected by this significant achievement. In October of 2020, we obtained our ISO 9001 certification, the world's most widely recognized standard for quality management systems. Now with our internationally recognized ICH Q7 certification, our alcohol is certified for use as an active pharmaceutical ingredient. Markets for our alcohol include use in beauty and oral care products such as foundation and mouthwash, in addition to other uses within the pharmaceutical and personal care product industries. Our dedication to quality required to attain ICH Q7 allows us to safely and consistently serve our domestic markets as well as a growing export market.

“We thank our customers for assisting us in developing our quality program and providing support through the successful completion of our ICH Q7 audits. Attaining this certification deepens our existing customer relationships and also opens the door to new opportunities. With our ICP facility now ISO 9001 and ICH Q7 certified, we can more effectively meet anticipated customer demand for our specialty alcohols and essential ingredients.”

About ICH Q7

The International Council for Harmonization (ICH) Guideline is intended to provide guidance regarding Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for the manufacturing of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) under an appropriate system for managing quality. It is also intended to help ensure that APIs meet the requirements for quality and purity that they purport or are represented to possess.

This Guideline applies to the manufacture of APIs for use in human drug (medicinal) products. It applies to the manufacture of sterile APIs only up to the point immediately prior to the APIs being rendered sterile. The sterilization and aseptic processing of sterile APIs are not covered by this guidance but should be performed in accordance with GMP guidelines for drug (medicinal) products as defined by local authorities. For more information please visit: https://www.ich.org/page/quality-guidelines.

About Alto Ingredients, Inc.

Alto Ingredients, Inc. (ALTO), formerly known as Pacific Ethanol, Inc., is a leading producer of specialty alcohols and essential ingredients. The company is focused on products for four key markets: Health, Home & Beauty; Food & Beverage; Essential Ingredients; and Renewable Fuels. The company’s customers include major food and beverage companies and consumer products companies. For more information please visit www.altoingredients.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Statements and information contained in this communication that refer to or include Alto Ingredients’ estimated or anticipated future results or other non-historical expressions of fact are forward-looking statements that reflect Alto Ingredients’ current perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of the communication. Forward looking statements generally will be accompanied by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “should,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “will,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” or other similar words, phrases or expressions. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning Alto Ingredients’ plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. It is important to note that Alto Ingredients’ objectives, expectations and intentions are not predictions of actual performance. Actual results may differ materially from Alto Ingredients’ current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Alto Ingredients’ business. These factors include, among others, adverse economic and market conditions, including for specialty alcohols and essential ingredients; export conditions and international demand for the company’s products; fluctuations in the price of and demand for oil and gasoline; raw material costs, including production input costs, such as corn and natural gas; the effects – both positive and negative – of COVID-19; and Alto Ingredients’ ability to maintain and benefit from quality management certifications. These factors also include, among others, the inherent uncertainty associated with financial and other projections; the anticipated size of the markets and continued demand for Alto Ingredients’ products; the impact of competitive products and pricing; the risks and uncertainties normally incident to the specialty alcohol production and marketing industries; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; successful compliance with governmental regulations applicable to Alto Ingredients’ distilleries, products and/or businesses; changes in laws, regulations and governmental policies; the loss of key senior management or staff; and other events, factors and risks previously and from time to time disclosed in Alto Ingredients’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, specifically, those factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section contained in Alto Ingredients’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 16, 2020.

Media Contact:

Bryon McGregor, Alto Ingredients, Inc., 916-403-2768, mediarelations@altoingredients.com

Company IR Contact:

Michael Kramer, Alto Ingredients, Inc., 916-403-2755, Investorrelations@altoingredients.com

IR Agency Contact:

Moriah Shilton, LHA Investor Relations, 415-433-3777, Investorrelations@altoingredients.com

Released February 3, 2021