Sara Lee Solidifies Leadership in Sustainable Coffee

Utrecht, The Netherlands (ots/PRNewswire) -

- World's Third Largest Coffee Buyer Will Source 20,000 Tons of
UTZ-Certified Coffee in 2008

Sara Lee wants its coffee to taste as good to those who farm it as
it does to those who drink it. As part of its commitment to corporate
social responsibility, the producer of coffee flagship brands such as
Douwe Egberts, Merrild, Maison du Café and Marcilla announced today
the doubling of its worldwide procurement of sustainable coffee. With
this new commitment, Sara Lee brings its total sustainable coffee
volume to 20,000 tons, solidifying the company's leadership position
in this arena.

During the past four years, Sara Lee has achieved an eight-fold
increase in its sustainable coffee volumes: from 2,500 tons in 2004
to the 20,000 tons it has committed to procure in 2008.

"As a major global coffee roaster, Sara Lee can boost
sustainability as a competitive way of producing coffee that supports
the environment as well as the socioeconomic conditions of local
communities," said Frank van Oers, chief executive officer of Sara
Lee's Coffee & Tea division. "Sara Lee's sustainable coffee volume
will continue to move in parallel with the growth of the supply
market."

An important part of Sara Lee's efforts for buying sustainable
coffee is its partnership with the UTZ Certified Foundation. "The
partnership with UTZ Certified matches our long-term vision and
ambition of increasing sustainability within the complex coffee
sector," added Van Oers. "Sara Lee believes UTZ Certified provides a
very beneficial worldwide code of conduct and an accompanying system
of control for the production and processing of mainstream coffee."

Sara Lee partners with UTZ (which means "good" in Mayan language)
since 2004 by buying UTZ-certified coffee and helping farmers become
certified, including farmers from Sara Lee's own coffee projects in
countries of origin. The certification follows UTZ Certified's
international code of conduct for coffee producers, which sets
standards for social and environmental criteria for coffee growing
practices and farm management. UTZ certification ensures traceability
of coffee and ensures that farmers get a better price for their
product.

Sara Lee is also a founding member of "The Common Code for the
Coffee Community" (4Cs). In this multi-stakeholder initiative,
producers, trade, industry and civil society work together for more
sustainability in the entire coffee sector.

About Sara Lee

Each and every day, Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE) delights millions of
consumers and customers around the world. The company has one of the
world's best-loved and leading portfolios with its innovative and
trusted food, beverage, household and body care brands, including
Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi,
Sanex, Sara Lee, and Senseo. Collectively, these brands generate more
than $12 billion annual net sales in approximately 200 countries. The
Sara Lee community consists of 52,000 employees worldwide. Please
visit www.saralee.com for the latest news and in-depth information
about Sara Lee and its brands.

ots Originaltext: Sara Lee
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Contact: Ernesto Duran; Stefanie Miltenburg, +31-(0)30-297-23-29


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