**EXHIBIT 31 — SECTION 302 CERTIFICATIONS**

I, Theodore L.Arena, and I, Thomas J. Mulroney, each separately certify that:

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Provena Foods Inc. (the “Company”);

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of thecircumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, andother financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The Company’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and l5d-15(e)) andinternal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) for the Company and have:

a) Designed such disclosure controlsand procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including any subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities,particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal controlover financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally acceptedaccounting principles;

c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this reportbased on such evaluation; and

d) Disclosed in this report any change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during theCompany’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The Company’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the Company’s board ofdirectors:

a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonablylikely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b) Any fraud. whether or not material,that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date:  July 31, 2003

 

|   |   |   /s/ Theodore L. Arena                                                  |   |   |
|--------|--------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------|--------|
|   |   |                                                                                              |   |   |
|   |   | **Theodore** **L.** **Arena,** **Chief** **Executive** **Officer**  |   |   |
|   |   |                                                                                    |   |   |
|   |   |   /s/ Thomas J. Mulroney                                                 |   |   |
|   |   |                                                                                              |   |   |
|   |   | **Thomas** **J.** **Mulroney,** **Chief** **Financial** **Officer** |   |   |