Exhibit 99.1

Press Release:

   Opta Food Ingredients Announces Acquisition Agreement With Stake Technology

BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 28, 2002--Opta Food Ingredients, Inc.
(Nasdaq:OPTS - News), a leading developer and manufacturer of proprietary food
ingredients, today announced it has entered into a definitive acquisition
agreement with Ontario, Canada-based Stake Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq:STKL - News).
Under the terms of the agreement, Stake will commence an all-cash tender offer
to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Opta Food Ingredients for
$2.50 per share. The acquisition value of Opta's common shares, after dilution,
is approximately $28 million in cash.

Opta's board of directors unanimously approved the acquisition agreement and
voted to recommend the tender offer to Opta's shareholders. Certain stockholders
of Opta, including officers, directors and affiliates, holding approximately 14
percent of the outstanding shares of Opta common stock, have agreed to tender
their shares to Stake in the offer. The transaction is subject to certain
closing conditions, including the tender of a majority of Opta's shares, and is
anticipated to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2002.

Arthur J. McEvily, Ph.D., Opta president and chief executive officer, said, "Our
board of directors carefully considered the offer from Stake, as well as Opta's
other strategic alternatives, and believes that this transaction is in the best
interests of our shareholders and also provides long-term growth opportunities
for our business. We believe the relationship with Stake will provide the future
resources necessary to support our strategy of diversifying our customer base,
improving our plant operating margins through manufacturing efficiencies and
increased sales volume, and as a result, steadily increase our bottom line
performance."

Jeremy N. Kendall, Stake chairman and chief executive officer, said, "The
addition of Opta is integral to our strategy of continuing to build our
health-oriented food business. Opta has an excellent reputation for product
quality, innovation and technical expertise in developing value-added solutions
for major food and food service companies. The acquisition of Opta will be a
superb addition to our growing portfolio of food companies and, having turned
the corner on profitability two quarters ago, is expected to be accretive to our
future earnings."

Plans call for Opta becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Stake with existing
management continuing to operate the company.

About Stake Technology Ltd.

Stake Technology Ltd. is an owner/operator of high-growth ethical businesses,
focused on environmental responsibility and the health and well being of its
communities. For the last four consecutive years, Stake was included in Profit
Magazine's `Profit 100' list of the 100 fastest growing companies in Canada.
Currently, the company has three business units: the Food Group, which
specializes in identity-preserved grain products and natural and organic food
products, from seed to packaged product; the Environmental Industrial Group, a
producer, distributor, and



recycler of industrial materials; and the Steam Explosion Technology Group,
which markets clean pulping technologies. Each of these business units has
proprietary products and services that give it a solid competitive advantage in
its sector.

About Opta Food Ingredients

Opta Food Ingredients, Inc. is a leading innovator, manufacturer and marketer of
proprietary food ingredients that improve the nutritional content,
healthfulness, texture and taste of its customers' food products. Opta's food
ingredients are used by more than 350 food companies, including 12 of the
largest U.S. consumer packaged food companies and three of the world's largest
quick service restaurant chains.

At the time the offer is commenced, Stake and its wholly owned subsidiary making
the offer will file a tender offer statement with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission and Opta will file a solicitation/recommendation statement
with respect to the offer. The tender offer statement (including an offer to
purchase, a related letter of transmittal and other offer documents) and the
solicitation/recommendation statement will contain important information, which
should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the offer.
The offer to purchase, the related letter of transmittal and certain other offer
documents, as well as the solicitation/recommendation statement, will be made
available to registered stockholders of Opta at no expense to them within five
working days of this release. The tender offer statement (including the offer to
purchase, the related letter of transmittal and all other documents filed with
the Commission) and the solicitation/recommendation statement will also be
available for free at the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov.

Opta will hold a webcast this afternoon to discuss today's announcement at 4:30
p.m. Eastern Time. Interested parties may access the webcast through the
investor relations section of the company's web site at www.opta-food.com.
Replays of this webcast will also be available through the investor relations
section of the company's Web site.

Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements based on
management's current expectations. Factors which could cause actual results to
differ from such expectations are discussed in the Company's periodic reports
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including Reports on Form
10-K and Form 10-Q) and include the size and timing of significant orders, as
well as deferral of orders, over which the Company has no control; the extended
product testing and launch cycles of the Company's potential customers; the
variation of the Company's sales cycles from customer to customer; increased
competition posed by food ingredient manufacturers; changes in pricing policies
by the Company or its competitors; possible delays in securing production
equipment and retrofitting production facilities and processes; the Company's
success in expanding its sales and marketing programs; its ability to
successfully enter new markets and its ability to gain increased market
acceptance for its existing product lines; the Company's ability to timely
develop and successfully introduce new products in its pipeline at acceptable
costs; the potential for significant quarterly variations in the mix of sales
among the Company's products; the challenges of integrating the operations of
acquired businesses; and general economic conditions.

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Contact:
     Opta Food Ingredients, Inc.
     Scott A. Kumf, 781/276-5153
     skumf@opta-food.com