IFT’s 2012 Annual Meeting &amp; Food Expo in Las Vegas

IFT’s 2012 Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Las Vegas

Product: SunOpta ingredients

SunOpta announces new ingredient offerings

SunOpta Inc., Ontario, Canada, announced that the SunOpta Ingredients Group has expanded its portfolio of value-added ingredients to include rice fiber, cellulose fiber and a specialty starch designed for use in yogurt and other dairy foods. All of the new ingredients were internally developed and were featured at the Institute of Food Technologists' (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo being held in Las Vegas last month.

SunOpta(R) Rice Fiber 310, a gluten-free ingredient, delivers a concentrated source of dietary fiber, greater than 90%, with a silky smooth texture and bland flavor. Rice fiber currently in the market is made from rice bran, not hulls, and does not exceed 50% total dietary fiber. The proprietary process to produce this fiber was internally developed and utilizes existing manufacturing assets.

Scott Gordon, president of the SunOpta Ingredients Group, commented, "As we continually seek to expand the company's fiber solutions, rice fiber provides a gluten-free, all-natural option for enriching foods that need a boost in fiber content. We are excited to be first to market with this high fiber ingredient and believe SunOpta(R) Rice Fiber 310 will provide interesting options for the fast growing gluten-free category."

Also new to the portfolio is SunOpta(R) Cellulose Fiber 310. Cellulose fiber is utilized in a number of food applications and is used to retain moisture which helps to optimize yields and control costs. The meat industry has been facing escalating prices and the use of cellulose fiber in meat systems continues to grow. SunOpta(R) Cellulose Fiber 310 was developed at the Company's operations in Louisville, Kentucky which were recently modified to enable production of a number of alternative fiber products including SunOpta(R) Cellulose Fiber 310.
The Company intends to leverage this platform to develop other fiber solutions as the demand for fiber inclusion in food continues to expand.

SunOpta's R&D team has also developed a new generation starch, OptaGrade(R) 350, which provides stabilization in a variety of dairy foods. Many food manufacturers are looking to give their customers cleaner labels by replacing modified food starch and gelatin in food products. Using OptaGrade 350 specialty starch in products such as yogurt can provide the thick, creamy texture desired by consumers and meet clean label requirements. This product is well-suited for Greek-style yogurt, the fastest growing sector of the yogurt market.

These new ingredients were featured at the Institute of Food Technologists' (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo held in Las Vegas, June 26-28, 2012, including a gluten-free, direct-expanded snack puff utilizing SunOpta(R) Rice Fiber 310, and a yogurt parfait utilizing OptaGrade(R) 350.

About SunOpta Inc.

SunOpta Inc. is a leading global company focused on natural, organic and specialty foods products. The company specializes in sourcing, processing and packaging of natural and organic food products, integrated from seed through packaged products; with a focus on strategically vertically integrated business models. The Company's core natural and organic food operations focus on value-added grains, fiber and fruit based product offerings, supported by a global infrastructure. The company has two non-core holdings, a 66.2% ownership position in Opta Minerals Inc., listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, a producer, distributor, and recycler of environmentally friendly industrial materials; and a minority ownership position in Mascoma Corporation, an innovative biofuels company. For more information, visit www.sunopta.com.