TORONTO, Sept. 17, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SunOpta Inc. ("SunOpta" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:STKL) (TSX:SOY), a leading global company focused on natural and organic foods, today announced the release of its 2013 Corporate Social Responsibility Progress Report. The report provides an update on progress towards the Company's 2013 goals covering social, environmental and economic objectives and further reinforces SunOpta's commitment to becoming an increasingly sustainable organization.

Steve Bromley, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Over the past number of years we have made substantial progress in our sustainability journey and we remain excited about the future as we continue to build a sustainable organization. We know that doing the right thing is not only good for our business, but it also fulfils our role as a responsible corporate citizen."

The Company's commitment to building a progressively sustainable organization is consistent with its core focus on natural and organic foods and core strategies of growing SunOpta's value-added packaged foods and ingredients portfolio in hand with leveraging its integrated platform in a cost-effective and responsible manner.

The report covers the operations of SunOpta Inc., including wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint venture operations, excluding Opta Minerals Inc. The report is available on the Company's website (www.sunopta.com) and complements other information available about the Company.

In in an effort to improve the timeliness of sustainability reporting and standardize the timing of the report in the future, the Company is transitioning to annual reporting in June instead of December of each year. The Company's next CSR report will be published in June 2014.

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.

The SunOpta Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3958

CONTACT: SunOpta Inc.

         Susan Wiekenkamp, Information Officer

         Tel: 905-455-2528, ext 103

         susan.wiekenkamp@sunopta.com

         Website: www.sunopta.com
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