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Investments | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 28, 2013
Schedule of Investments [Abstract] |
Investment Holdings, Schedule of Investments [Text Block] | 7. Investments Mascoma Corporation On August 31, 2010, the Company sold 100% of its ownership interest in SunOpta BioProcess Inc. to Mascoma in exchange for an equity ownership position in Mascoma, consisting of preferred stock, common stock and warrants to purchase common stock of Mascoma. The Company accounts for its investment in Mascoma using the cost method, as the Company does not have the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of Mascoma. In evaluating whether its investment in Mascoma is recoverable each reporting period, the Company considers information relevant to the estimation of Mascoma's enterprise value and stock price, including external factors such as the stock prices of comparable publicly-traded renewable energy companies. The Company also considers the commercial viability and future earnings prospects of Mascoma's products and technologies, as well as Mascoma's ability to raise additional capital to fund its operational requirements. As at June 29, 2013, the Company concluded that the $33,845 carrying value of its investment in Mascoma was impaired and that the impairment was other-than-temporary, based on information provided by Mascoma and consideration of external factors. The Company completed a valuation analysis based on available information and determined that the fair value of its investment in Mascoma was $12,350 at June 29, 2013. As a result, the Company recorded an other-than-temporary impairment loss of $21,495 on the consolidated statement of operations for the quarter ended June 29, 2013. As at December 28, 2013, the Company did not estimate the fair value of its investment in Mascoma, as no events or changes in circumstances were identified that may have a significant adverse effect on the Company's ability to recover the new cost base of its investmen t.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for investment holdings. This includes the information required in the supplementary schedule applicable to management investment companies listing holdings of unaffiliated investments. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 946 -SubTopic 320 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.12-12) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6955306&loc=d3e611133-123010 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 12 -Article 12 + Details
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