TORONTO, Jan. 13, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SunOpta Inc. ("SunOpta" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:STKL) (TSX:SOY), a leading global company focused on natural, organic and specialty foods, announced today that Allan Routh, Senior Vice President, Business Development, will be retiring from his current management position effective, January 31, 2014. Mr. Routh will continue to serve as a member of the Company's Board of Directors and has entered into a three year consulting agreement with the Company.
"I want to thank Allan for his dedication, leadership and support as SunOpta has evolved into a global leader in natural, organic and specialty foods," commented Steve Bromley, Chief Executive Officer, SunOpta Inc. "Allan has played a key role in the development of our Company and will remain involved as both a consultant and member of our Board of Directors. Over the last year we have realigned our integrated natural and organic foods operating structure in line with our strategic direction, with a focus on improving our go-to-market practices, driving efficiencies and leveraging our existing platform. As part of this realignment, we have also added a number of key leadership resources to the Company's Senior Leadership team over the last year. I am very pleased that Allan will continue to be involved and support SunOpta as a member of the Board of Directors and in his consulting role."
Jeremy Kendall, Chairman, SunOpta Inc., commented, "Allan has been a pioneer in the natural and organic foods industry, and has played a key role in the development of our Company since our entry into the foods business. We all want to thank Allan for his many contributions to SunOpta and look forward to continuing to work with Allan as we further enhance our position in the natural and organic foods industry."
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 66.1% 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.
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