NY -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 1/15/1999 -- Standard&Poor's today assigned its preliminary triple-'B'-plus rating to ConAgra Inc.'s $1 billion Rule 415 shelf registration. The triple-'B'-plus long-term corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings for the company, as well as the 'A-2' short-term corporate credit and commercial paper ratings, were affirmed. The outlook is stable. Approximately $5.6 billion of total debt is outstanding. The ratings reflect ConAgra Inc.'s relatively low business risk, derived from a diverse portfolio of leading packaged-food brands, and the company's major positions in meat packing, poultry, flour milling, grain trading, and agricultural inputs. These factors are offset, in part, by moderately high debt leverage. ConAgra has maintained a consistent record of earnings growth, while
