Sara Lee Corp. announced it is committed to reducing salt an average of 20 percent over the next five years across its key categories of fresh bread, hot dogs, lunch meat, breakfast foods and cooked sausage. This initiative will encompass Sara Lee’s top food brands, including Jimmy Dean, Ball Park, Hillshire Farm and Sara Lee. The effort builds on the successful salt reduction the company has already accomplished, which includes the launch of a line of lower-sodium lunch meats earlier this year and sodium-reduced options of fresh bread products.

“This is in line with our broader wellness and nutrition strategy, which focuses on increasing the presence of positives, such as whole grains and lean protein. At the same time, we are reducing the amount of certain less desirable ingredients, such as trans fats and salt,” said C.J. Fraleigh, executive vice president and CEO, Sara Lee North American Retail and Foodservice. “We are excited to respond to consumers’ requests for lower-salt options, and plan to continue to provide great-tasting Sara Lee foods that they have come to know and love, but now with less salt.”

Source: Sara Lee Corp.

ConAgra names VP Finance

ConAgra Foods has announced the promotion of Chris Rogers to vice president, Finance. Most recently, Rogers was senior director, Finance, supporting mergers and acquisitions and strategy development. In his new role, Rogers will focus on financial planning and reporting while continuing to play an integral part in strategy development.

“Chris has demonstrated strong leadership, adaptability, knowledge and understanding in multiple Finance disciplines,” said Bill Hahn, vice president, Finance. Since joining ConAgra Foods in 1995, Rogers has held roles of increasing responsibility serving as a business partner across several Finance areas supporting Marketing, Sales and Supply Chain functions in the Consumer organization.

Source: ConAgra Foods

Arrested Agriprocessors employees in legal limbo

Women's E-News has reported on the fate of several workers who were arrested in the 2008 Agriprocessors raid. One of them, Quendi Garcia, was an undocumented worker who left Mexico to at age 14 and worked for Agriprocessors for nine years. She was arrested for illegally entering the country, but the Department of Homeland Security still has yet to determine if she and several other workers should qualify for legal residence or be deported. Garcia remains in Postville but must wear a monitoring device 24 hours a day, and she is not allowed to work or leave the state. She and her daughters are relying on St. bridget's Roman Catholic Church and its Hispanic Ministry Fund to pay for her food, rent and utility bills.

Sonia Parras Konrad, a Des Moines attorney, said that some of the workers who remain in the country were due to testify against former Agriprocessors vice president Sholom Rubashkin, who faced 72 charges that included violations of immigration and document fraud laws. Those charges were later dropped, and many of the workers may be deported without having a chance to tell their stories.

To read more about the former employees, go to: http://www.womensenews.org/story/immigration/091216/arrested-iowa-meat-packers-live-in-legal-limbo?page=0,0.

Source: Women's E-News