SunOpta Supports Hurricane Relief

September 12, 2005
SunOpta Supports Hurricane Relief

TORONTO--Sept. 12, 2005--SunOpta Inc. (SunOpta or the Company) (Nasdaq:STKL) (TSX:SOY) today announced that it has donated 15,000 cases (180,000 quarts) of aseptic soymilk to Second Harvest, part of the Foodshelf Network in support of the Hurricane Relief Program. Aseptic soymilk is a non-perishable food item, which does not require refrigeration and has a shelf life of one year.

SunOpta, in conjunction with The Hain Celestial Group, has also donated 10,000 cases (120,000 quarts) of drinking water in a shelf-stable package.

SunOpta has further donated 235,000 healthy Kettle Valley Fruit Bars, which are made from 100% apple.

Allan Routh, President of the SunOpta Grains and Soy Products Group, stated, "On behalf of the employees of SunOpta we are really pleased to make a contribution to the relief efforts in this manner."

In response to a number of questions from shareholders as to Hurricane Katrina's effect on SunOpta's businesses, Jeremy Kendall, Chairman and CEO of SunOpta noted the following:

"Barge traffic on the Mississippi River, which is one of the forms of transportation used by SunOpta for shipping soybeans to Japan, was temporarily closed and is now partially back in use. Alternative forms of transportation, such as rail and container, are being used and shipments are not expected to be affected in this quarter.

"SunOpta's 70% owned subsidiary, Opta Minerals Inc., has a small abrasive plant in Slidell, Mississippi, which is currently flooded. Aerial photographs confirmed that the facility has survived with minor damage to a connected warehouse. Inventory on-hand will have to be redried, however, the plant will probably not be back in production for several weeks. In the meantime, customers will be supplied from other facilities.

"Opta Minerals supplies a significant amount of granules for the roofing shingle market from several of its plants and this business will no doubt be very strong for the foreseeable future, as the reconstruction period gets underway. Similarly, the boat repair business is expected to be strong, and will continue to utilize Opta Minerals' abrasive products."

SunOpta Inc. is an operator of high-growth ethical businesses, focusing on integrated business models in the natural and organic food markets. For the last seven consecutive years, SunOpta was included in Profit magazine's 'Profit 100' list of the 100 fastest growing companies in Canada. The Company has three business units: the SunOpta Food Group, which specializes in sourcing, processing and distribution of natural and organic food products integrated from seed through packaged products; the Opta Minerals Group, a producer, distributor, and recycler of environmentally friendly industrial materials; and the StakeTech Steam Explosion Group which engineers and markets proprietary steam explosion technology systems for the pulp, bio-fuel and food processing industries. Each of these business units has proprietary products and services that give it a solid competitive advantage in its sector.

    CONTACT: SunOpta Inc.
             Jeremy N. Kendall, Steve Bromley, John Dietrich,
             Susan Wiekenkamp, 905-455-2528, ext 103
             email: susan.wiekenkamp@sunopta.com
             website: www.sunopta.com

    SOURCE: SunOpta Inc.