EXHIBIT 23.1





 
                        CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
                        -------------------------------



The Board of Directors
Provena Foods Inc.:

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statement (No. 
33-23852) on Form S-8 of Provena Foods Inc. of our report dated January 23, 
1998, relating to the balance sheets of Provena Foods Inc. as of December 31, 
1997 and 1996, and the related statements of earnings, shareholders' equity, and
cash flows and related schedule for each of the years in the three-year period 
ended December 31, 1997, which report appears in the December 31, 1997 annual 
report on Form 10-K of Provena Foods Inc.



                                                KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP





Orange County, California
February 25, 1998