FOOD

Nearly 200 Jobs to Be Cut at Ralston Unit: Ralcorp Holdings Inc. plans to cut production at its Battle Creek, Mich., cereal plant by half, eliminate 190 of 356 jobs there and record an unspecified charge against earnings in the third quarter. The food products company said the cuts in Battle Creek are part of a program to reduce costs by $25 million to $30 million annually at its Ralston Foods cereal unit. Ralcorp announced earlier the elimination of 100 jobs at its St. Louis headquarters. Ralcorp expects its Ralston Foods plant in Cincinnati to handle any needed extra production. Ralcorp said it anticipates that third-quarter results will reflect the costs of severance, benefits, closing part of the plant and the reduced value of certain assets caused by the cuts.