Exhibit (a)(9)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media:         Julie Ketay, 312.558.8727 (Sara Lee Corporation)
               Matt Hall, 314.259.7223 (Earthgrains Company)

Analysts:      Aaron Hoffman, 312.558.8739 (Sara Lee Corporation)
               Molly Salky 314.259.7018 (Earthgrains Company)


SARA LEE CORPORATION AND THE EARTHGRAINS COMPANY
RECEIVE U.S. ANTITRUST CLEARANCE FOR PROPOSED ACQUISITION


CHICAGO and ST. LOUIS (July 23, 2001) - Sara Lee Corporation and The
Earthgrains Company announced today that they have received U.S. antitrust
clearance for Sara Lee's proposed acquisition of Earthgrains. The waiting
period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 relating
to Sara Lee's proposed acquisition of Earthgrains expired at 11:59 p.m. (EDT),
on Friday, July 20, 2001. The tender offer is scheduled to expire at midnight
(EDT) on Tuesday, July 31, 2001, unless extended.

On July 2, 2001, Sara Lee Corporation announced it had signed an agreement to
acquire St. Louis-based Earthgrains for $2.8 billion.

Earthgrains, which generated sales of nearly $2.6 billion in fiscal 2001,
operates fresh-bakery and refrigerated-dough businesses in the United States
and Europe. Earthgrains is the second-largest producer of fresh packaged bread
and baked goods in the United States, operating 61 bakeries. Major
company-owned brands include Earth Grains, IronKids, Grant's Farm, Colonial
and Rainbo.

Sara Lee Corporation is a global branded consumer packaged goods company with
approximately $17.5 billion in annual revenues. Its leading brands include
Sara Lee, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Kiwi, Hanes and Playtex.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer
to sell securities. Sara Lee has filed a tender offer statement with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Earthgrains has filed a
solicitation/recommendation statement with respect to the offer. Shareholders
of Earthgrains are urged to read both the tender offer statement (including
the offer to purchase and related letter of transmittal) and the
solicitation/recommendation statement because they contain important
information about the offer. These documents are available to shareholders of
Earthgrains at no charge and are also available for free at the SEC's website
at www.sec.gov.

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