LIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR
SECTION 16 REPORTING OBLIGATIONS


		The undersigned, Marcel H. M. Smits, constitutes and appoints Brett J. Hart,
Helen N. Kaminski and Mark Silver, each of them, as the undersigned's true and
lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and
re-substitution, for the undersigned and in the undersigned's name, place and
stead, to take the following actions with respect to the undersigned's ownership
of securities of Sara Lee Corporation, a Maryland corporation (the "Company"):

(i)	prepare, execute, deliver and file with the U. S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC"), any national securities exchange and the Company: (a)
statements of beneficial ownership on Forms 3, 4, and 5 that are required or
permitted to be filed pursuant to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and rules promulgated thereunder; (b) any
Form 144 Notice of Proposed Sale of Securities (including any amendments
thereto) required to be filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"), and Rule 144 promulgated thereunder; and (c) any and all
other documents, including without limitation a Form ID, necessary or desirable
to facilitate the filing by the undersigned of a Form 144 and forms under
Section 16 of the Exchange Act;

(ii)	seek or obtain, as the undersigned's representative and on the
undersigned's behalf, information on transactions in the Company's securities
from any third party, including brokers and employee benefit plan administrators
and trustees, and the undersigned hereby authorizes any such person to release
any such information to said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and approves and
ratifies any such release of information; and

(iii)	perform any and all other acts which, in the discretion of said
attorneys-in-fact and agents, are necessary or desirable for and on behalf of
the undersigned in connection with the foregoing, granting unto said
attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each act
requisite and necessary to be done under Section 16 of the Exchange Act and Rule
144 promulgated under the Securities Act, as fully to all intents and purposes
as the undersigned might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming
all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents may lawfully do or cause to be done
by virtue hereof.

	A copy of this power of attorney shall be filed with the SEC and with any
applicable stock exchange.  The authorization set forth above shall continue in
full force and effect until the undersigned revokes such authorization by
written instructions to the attorneys-in-fact and agents.  The undersigned
acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact and agents, in serving in such
capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not assuming any of the
undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Exchange Act or
Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act.

Dated:  October 5, 2009


/s/  Marcel H. M. Smits