TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
SunOpta Inc. ("SunOpta" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:STKL) (TSX:SOY), a
leading global company focused on organic, non-genetically modified and
specialty foods, today announced it has resumed production of roasted
sunflower kernels at its facility in Crookston, Minn. Production had
been paused on April 21, 2016, following the discovery of a potential
contamination issue which led to a voluntary recall on a limited number
of sunflower seeds produced at this facility.
"Earlier today, we issued a press
release to further expand our recall to cover the shelf life of
roasted sunflower kernel products originating from our Crookston
facility. We expanded the recall because we cannot guarantee the quality
of the affected products with absolute certainty, which is always our
highest priority," said Rik Jacobs, SunOpta's President and CEO.
"We are confident that through our work, in conjunction with external
experts, we have identified and eliminated the root causes of the
contamination and therefore resumed production of roasted sunflower
kernel products at our facility in Crookston," Jacobs added. "We have
also enhanced our testing activities prior to all customer shipments, to
give our customers the confidence that all products meet or exceed
rigorous quality and food safety specifications."
Jacobs further commented, "We are confident that we have the resources
necessary to appropriately address this challenge, and we carry adequate
insurance to help mitigate the direct and indirect costs of events such
as a recall. Even though these roasted kernel products from the affected
production lines at our Crookston facility represent less than 1% of our
annual sales, we take all food safety matters very seriously, regardless
of the scope of the product involved."
About SunOpta Inc.
SunOpta Inc. is a leading global company focused on organic,
non-genetically modified ("non-GMO") and specialty foods. SunOpta
specializes in the sourcing, processing and packaging of organic and
non-GMO food products, integrated from seed through packaged products;
with a focus on strategic vertically integrated business models.
SunOpta's organic and non-GMO food operations revolve around value-added
grain, seed, fruit and vegetable based product offerings, supported by a
global sourcing and supply infrastructure.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release may be considered
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian
securities legislation, which are based on information available to us
on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements include,
but are not limited to, our belief that we have identified and
eliminated the root causes of the contamination at our Crookston, Minn.
facility and our expectation that we have the resources necessary to
appropriately address this challenge. Generally, forward-looking
statements do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and are
typically accompanied by words such as "believe", "expect", "confident",
"should", "would", "may", "plans", "expect", "will", "anticipate",
"estimate", "intend", "project", "potential", "continue", "might",
"predict" or other similar terms and phrases intended to identify these
forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on
information available to us on the date of this release and are based on
estimates and assumptions made by the Company in light of its experience
and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected
future developments as well as other factors the Company believes are
appropriate in the circumstances including, but not limited to, the
results of our ongoing inspection and testing our of facilities,
equipment and products, investigations and reports from external
experts, our analysis of sales of roasted sunflower kernel products from
the affected production lines relative to our anticipated annual sales
of all products, and that we will not need to further expand the
existing product recall or implement any further product recalls or
shutdowns. Whether actual timing and results will agree with
expectations and predications of the Company is subject to many risks
and uncertainties including, but not limited to, potential flaws or
weaknesses in our inspection and testing procedures, potential decreases
in customer demand for our products as a result of product recalls,
future levels of revenues being lower than expected, costs of the
product recalls being higher than expected, further potential product
recalls; insufficiency or unavailability of insurance to fully address
product recalls; local and global political and economic conditions;
consumer spending patterns and changes in market trends; and other risks
described from time to time under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q (available at www.sec.gov).
Consequently, all forward-looking statements made herein are qualified
by these cautionary statements and there can be no assurance that the
actual results anticipated by the Company will be realized.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160601007067/en/
SunOpta Inc.
Rob Litt, 952-893-7863
Director Global
Communications
rob.litt@sunopta.com
Source: SunOpta Inc.
News Provided by Acquire Media