Jan 31, 2007 10:08 AM, from staff and wire reports

Sara Lee Corp intends to eliminate almost 1,700 jobs—or nearly 3% of its 54,000-employee workforce--and shut down two of its plants in Mississippi. The move is part of the food company’s restructuring to boost profits. Another 489 jobs also will be cut from worldwide operations.

The two West Point MS plants are a bacon-and-fresh-pork processing facility and a spice-production operation. Sara Lee plans to transfer production to suppliers capable of handling orders from both retail and foodservice firms. This transfer likely will occur at the end of March. The company said it would take $34 million in charges related to the plants’ closing.

With a population of 12,000, West Point was headquarters of Bryan Foods, which was acquired in 1968 by Sara Lee’s predecessor, Consolidated Foods Corp.