Sara Lee Ends Tobacco Advertising in U.S.

Sara Lee Corp. has quietly pulled the plug on tobacco advertising in the United States, a spokeswoman confirmed. The company, whose products include frozen baked goods, Ball Park franks, Hanes underwear and Coach leather goods, sells Drum tobacco for rolled cigarettes through its Van Nelle Tobacco Co. unit, a part of Dutch subsidiary Douwe Egberts. Effective July 1, Chicago-based Sara Lee cut $150,000 in advertising for Drum in Eugene and Portland, Ore., the only places where the tobacco was advertised, the spokeswoman said. The decision also came after the New York-based Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility urged the company to end its involvement in the production and promotion of tobacco products, the New York Times reported. The group hailed Sara Lee’s decision as the first company to voluntarily end advertising tobacco in the United States, the newspaper said.