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.