Sara Lee cuts about 300 jobs, including 100 at Downers Grove HQ

Food maker Sara Lee Corp. is eliminating about 300 jobs, or about 1 percent of its North American work force of more than 25,000 people.

Company spokesman Mike Cummins says the cuts include about 100 jobs at its Downers Grove headquarters in suburban Chicago and another 200 elsewhere.

Employees were informed on Monday. The layoffs will take place over the next few weeks.

Cummins says it's one of many actions Sara Lee is taking to become more profitable. Other efforts include exiting unprofitable businesses, reducing expenses, reprioritizing research and development projects and taking pricing actions.

High commodity prices have hammered food manufacturers, raising their costs and forcing them to increase prices at risk of losing consumers already squeezed by the slowing economy.