Private equity firm Oaktree Capital Management has invested $85 million in Canadian organic and non-GMO food producer SunOpta Foods, Inc.

SunOpta, which sells raw ingredients like sunflower kernels as well as packaged products like soy milk, will use the money to reduce its debt, according to a press release.

Matt Wilson, managing director and co-portfolio manager of Oaktree, said in a statement that the company thought SunOpta had “a substantial opportunity for growth in the rapidly expanding market for healthy and organic foods.”

L.A.-based Oaktree, which controls $98 billion in assets, will help create a long-term strategic plan for SunOpta, which has struggled after a possible Listeria outbreak at its Crookston, Minn. facility earlier this year led to recalls.

Alan Murray, chairman of the board of SunOpta, said in a statement that Oaktree would help to “strengthen the company’s operations in a way that can reduce operational volatility and realize sustainable growth and value creation.”

In exchange, Oaktree is reportedly getting an almost 12 percent stake in the food company.

Oaktree has worked with other food groups including AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc., a maker of packaged sandwiches and meats based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Oaktree acquired Pierre Foods out of bankruptcy in 2008 and then merged it with Advance Foods Co. and Advance Brands. In July, AdvancePierre announced terms for a $400 million IPO.