Food maker Sara Lee Corp. said Wednesday that it lost $17 million in its fiscal second quarter, largely due to a write-down related to a U.S. unit.

The maker of Jimmy Dean sausages and Ball Park franks also cut its fiscal 2009 earnings forecast for a second time on the write-down and softer results from its international household and body care and international bakery business divisions.

Downers Grove, Ill.-based Sara Lee now expects to earn 72 cents to 79 cents per share for the full year. That is down from a November forecast of 99 cents to $1.06 a share.

The company's shares fell 62 cents, or 5.9 percent, to $9.81 in late morning trading.

Sara Lee's quarterly loss amounted to 2 cents per share for the three months ended Dec. 27. That contrasts with a profit of $182 million, or 25 cents per share, a year ago.

Excluding 23 cents per share related to a write-down in the North American foodservice beverage unit and other items, the company said it earned 21 cents per share. That matched the estimates of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude one-time items.

Revenue edged down to $3.34 billion from $3.41 billion a year ago on weaker sales from international operations, which were hurt by a stronger U.S. dollar and lower unit volumes due to softening economic conditions in some European markets. Analysts expected revenue of $3.4 billion.

North American retail sales rose 8.4 percent to $746 million on higher prices and as people bought more higher-margin goods. North American fresh bakery revenue grew 10.6 percent to $539 million on increased prices and higher unit volumes. North American foodservice sales edged up 0.5 percent with higher prices and the favorable sales mix somewhat offset by lower unit volumes.

But international business weakened as economic conditions worsened there, leading consumers to pull back more on their spending. International beverage revenue dropped 6.9 percent to $765 million on the stronger U.S. dollar and lower unit volumes. International bakery revenue fell 16.4 percent to $196 million, while international household and body care sales dropped 15.7 percent to $490 million.

Chief Executive Brenda Barnes said the softening by European consumers is a delay from what the U.S. has been experiencing in the past year, and that is causing consumers to change some shopping habits, including switching to less expensive, private label brands.

"I think the severity that it has hit Europe has been later and deeper than what we've seen here," she said. "We've seen some slight changes in consumer behavior in a little bit of private label going up in some categories. But for the most part, brands are holding up quite well and strong and sustaining the marketplace."

Foreign exchange rates are also hurting business. As the U.S. dollar gains strength, that weakens currency translation, which affects results.

Stifel Nicolaus & Co. analyst Christopher Growe said foreign currency translation was a 6 percent drag on the quarter, while prices were up 8 percent and volume was down 4 percent. He said that about 70 percent of Sara Lee's profits come from overseas.

"Sara Lee faces a challenging environment outside of North America for the remainder of the fiscal year," Growe said, adding he was encouraged by the growth and margin potential in the company's North America business.

In December Sara Lee said it would cut 700 jobs as it outsources parts of its business to bring between $200 million and $250 million in savings in the next three years. The company has about 44,000 employees worldwide.

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AP Business Writer Michelle Chapman in New York contributed to this report.