"sara lee" news and stories

First SpaghettiOs, now Sara Lee.

Sara Lee announced Wednesday that it's cutting the sodium in its fresh bread, hot dogs, lunchmeat, breakfast foods and cooked sausage by up to 20 percent over the next five years.

The move comes after Sara Lee joined the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWC), an organization devoted to helping reduce obesity by 2015.

It's tea season in our house and I noticed something missing from Celestial Seasons' Sleepytime tea package: the Sleepytime Bear's family.

You know the Bear: dozing in front of the fire, cat in his lap. Used to be you saw Mrs. Bear and the kids on the side panel, headed off to be while dad dozed. Now the whole family has gone mysteriously missing and Mr. Bear has acquired a big blue radio -- a touch that just screams midlife crisis.

This change in personnel got me to thinking about other iconic food mascots and the makeovers they've received. Today we'll start with the women, with pride of place going to that fictional earth mother, the dark goddess of America's ready-made food unconscious, Aunt Jemima.

I've heard of getting iron in your bread, but not like this.

Sara Lee is recalling several different brands of their breads because metal pieces might have gotten into the bread during production. The bread was sold in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and parts of Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida.

The bread is sold under different names, including Earth Grains and Sara Lee Delightful Wheat. There are 27 different brands in all. Here are the full details, including the brand names, dates, and code numbers.

There's still a little time left before kids have to head off to school, which means that you might still be packing a lunch. Without debating whether or not kids should be packing their own lunch - which depends entirely on whether they realize the value of having a meal that is more than Pringles and chocolate chip cookies - MSN has a list of foods that you might want to tuck into that brown paper bag on a school day. Most are convenience foods, but they are convenience foods that are healthy choices. Their suggestions include:

• Propel Calcium, for a healthy dose of calcium that doesn't need to be refrigerated
• Yves Veggie Deli Slices, which are soy-based (meatless) and low in fat and come in many varieties for sandwiches
• Sara Lee's Soft & Smooth Whole Grain White Bread
• 100 calorie packs of pretzels, crackers, chips and cookies

Don't forget to include a piece of fruit or some raw veggies and dip (hummus or black bean, which doesn't need to be refrigerated) so the kids get something fresh in their lunch, too. In fact, why not include some in your own lunch box?

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If you think that you are the master of sandwich making, especially if you prefer deli-style sandwiches with sliced meats to hot ones, you might want to consider entering your recipe in the Sara Lee Sandwich Search. The contest is in its second year, and hopes to uncover the best deli-style sandwich in the country. The winner gets a trip for 4 to Hawaii, so even if you're not a huge sandwich fan, there's no time like the present to become one.

Last year's winners (pdf) are a good place to start brainstorming. You'll notice that the top two are both Hawaiian-themed, but don't let that scare you if you don't usually get tropical with your sandwiches; the others are distinctly less exotic, many with slight twists on favorite foods. The only rules are that the sandwich must use at least one sliced cheese product and one sliced deli meat product - both from Sara Lee, of course. Fifty first place winners get $200 each, which isn't a trip to Hawaii, but certainly isn't bad for a sandwich.

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