OTHER NEWS - Jan. 13, 1996

Kraft Offers 1,400 Employees Early Retirement: The unit of Philip Morris Cos. made the offers in an effort to trim its U.S. administrative staff. The maker of Cheez Whiz and Oscar Mayer lunch meats sent the retirement offer to salaried workers over the age of 52 who have worked for Kraft for more than 10 years. Workers who accept will have five years credited to their age and length of service for the purpose of calculating benefits. Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft said it expects half to two-thirds of those eligible to accept. If the response is inadequate, Kraft said, it will use attrition to reduce its work force. The company would fire workers as a last resort, said Michael Mudd, vice president for corporate affairs. The offer follows past efforts by Kraft to sell less-profitable units.