Registration No. xx-xxxx

               UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                          Washington, D.C.  20549
                                FORM S-8
           REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                         Eagle Food Centers, Inc.
        (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
	
                   Delaware						   		        36-3548019
      (State or other jurisdiction of        (IRS Employer
       incorporation or organization)						Identification No.)

        Rt. 67 & Knoxville Rd., Milan, IL					   61264
    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)					(Zip Code)

   Eagle Food Centers, Inc. 401(k) Plan For Collectively Bargained Employees
                         (Full title of the plan)
 
     Herbert T. Dotterer, Rt. 67 & Knoxville Rd., Milan, IL  61264
                (Name and address of agent for service)
                             (309) 787-7730
       (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copy to:
      David B. VanSickel, 666 Walnut, Suite 2500, Des Moines, Iowa  50309
                           (Name and address)
                            (515) 288-2500
                           (Telephone number)

Calculation of Registration Fee
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                       Proposed          Proposed       Amount of
Title of securities  Amount to be  maximum offering  maximum aggregate  registration
to be registered      registered   price per share   offering price       fee
<S>                   <C>             <C>              <C>               <C> 
Common Stock,         1,000,000       $4.00(1)         $4,000,000        $1,212.12
$.01 par value          shares
per share
</TABLE>
In addition, pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement also covers an indeterminate amount of interests to be
offered or sold pursuant to the employee benefit plan described herin.

(1)	Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in
accordance with Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act based on the last sale
price of the Common Stock on January 24, 1997.

<PAGE>

PART II


INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION 
STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

	The documents listed in (a) through (c) below are incorporated by 
reference in the registration statement; all documents subsequently filed by 
the registrant or the Eagle Food Center, Inc. 401(k) Plan For Collectively 
Bargained Employees (the "Plan") pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, prior to the filing of a post-
effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold 
or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to 
be incorporated by reference in the registration statement and to be part 
thereof from the date of filing of such documents.

	(a)	The registrant's annual report on Form 10K for the fiscal year 
ended February 3, 1996 filed pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

	(b)	The registrant's quarterly reports on Form 10Q for the first, 
second and third quarters for the fiscal year ending February 1, 1997 filed 
pursuant to Section 13(a) of  the Exchange Act..  The registrant has not filed 
any other reports pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act 
since the end of the fiscal year covered by the registrant documents referred 
to in (a) above.

	(c)	The description of common stock contained in the registration 
statement filed with the Commission on Form 8-A under Section 12 of the 
Exchange Act, on July 14, 1989.

Item 4.  Description of Securities.

	Refer to response to Item 3(c) above.

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

	None.

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

	Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware 
provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, 
employee or agent of the corporation and certain other persons serving at the 
request of the corporation in related capacities against amounts paid and 
expenses incurred in connection with an action or proceeding to which he is 
or is threatened to be made a party by reason of such position, if such person 
shall have acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in 
or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal 
proceeding, if such person had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct 
was unlawful, provided that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right 
of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any 
matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the 
corporation unless and only to the extent that the adjudicating court 
determines that such indemnification is proper under the circumstances.  The 
Company's Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Company shall 
indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the 
Delaware General Corporation Law.

	The Company's Certificate of Incorporation also provides that no 
director shall be liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary 
damages for breach of his fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i)
for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the Company or its 
stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve 
intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 
of the Delaware General Corporation Law or (iv) for any transaction in which 
the director derived an improper personal benefit.

	The Bylaws of the Company contain provisions to the effect that each 
director, officer and employee of the Company shall be indemnified by the 
Company against liabilities and expenses in connection with any legal 
proceeding to which he may be made a party or with which he may become 
involved or threatened by reason of having been an officer, director or 
employee of the Company or of any other organization at the request of the 
Company.  The provisions include indemnification with respect to matters 
covered by a settlement.  Any such indemnification shall be made only if the 
Board determines by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of disinterested 
directors (or, if such quorum is not obtainable, or if the Board of Directors 
directs, by independent legal counsel or by stockholders), that 
indemnification is proper in the circumstances because the person seeking 
indemnification has met applicable standards of conduct.  It must be 
determined that the director, officer or employee acted in good faith with the 
reasonable belief that his action was in or not opposed to the best interest of 
the Company, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, he had 
no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

	The Company maintains directors' and officers' liability insurance 
under which the Company's directors and officers are insured against loss (as 
defined) as a result of claims brought against them alleging breach of duty, 
neglect, error or misstatement while acting in such capacities.

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed.

	Not applicable.

Item 8.  Exhibits.

	4.3	Eagle Food Centers, Inc. 401(k) Plan For Collectively Bargained 
Employees.
	
	23.	Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

	The registrant undertakes to submit or has submitted the Plan and any 
amendments thereto to the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") in a timely 
manner and has made or will make all changes required by the IRS in order to 
qualify the Plan.

Item 9.  Undertakings.

	The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: 

	(1)	To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being 
made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

		(i)	To include any prospectus required by section 10(a) (3) of 
the Securities Act of 1933;

		(ii)	To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising 
after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-
effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, 
represents a fundamental change in the information set forth in the 
registration statement;

		(iii)	To include any material information with respect to the 
plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or 
any material change to such information in the registration statement; 
provided, however, that paragraphs (a) (1) (i) and (a) (1) (ii) do not apply if 
the information required to be included in a posteffective amendment by 
those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant 
pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

	(2)	That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the 
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed 
to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, 
and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the
initial bona fide offering thereof.  

	(3)	To remove from registration by means of a post-effective 
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the 
termination of the offering.

	The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of 
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the 
registrant's annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an 
employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the 
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement 
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

	Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities 
Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of 
the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange 
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 
Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for 
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the 
registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling 
person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or 
proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in 
connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in 
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such 
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will 
be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

<PAGE>
SIGNATURES

	Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration 
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized in the Village of Milan, and the State of Illinois, on this
28th day of January, 1997.




Date:      January 28, 1997        REGISTRANT:
                                   EAGLE FOOD CENTERS, INC.

                                   By: \s\	
                                   Robert J. Kelly, President, Chief Executive
                                   Officer and Director

	Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration
statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the
date indicated.


Date:      January  28, 1997       Martin J. Rabinowitz
                                   Chairman of the Board and Director

Date:      January  28, 1997       Robert J. Kelly, President, Chief Executive
                                   Officer and Director

Date:      January 28 , 1997       Herbert T. Dotterer
                                   Senior Vice President-Finance and
                                   Chief Financial and Accounting Officer, 
                                   Director and Secretary

Date:      January 28, 1997        Pasquale V. Petitti, Director

Date:      January 28, 1997        Steven M. Friedman, Director

Date:      January 28, 1997        Alain M. Oberrotman, Director

Date:      January 28, 1997        Michael J. Knilans, Director

Date:      January  28, 1997       William J. Snyder, Director

Date:      January 28, 1997        Peter B. Foreman, Director

Date:      January 28, 1997        Marc C. Particelli, Director

<PAGE>
	Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the trustees (or
other persons who administer the employee benefit plan) have duly caused this
registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, on 
January 28, 1997.




Date:      January 28, 1997        PLAN:
                                   EAGLE FOOD CENTERS, INC. 401(k) PLAN
                                   FOR COLLECTIVELY BARGAINED 
                                   EMPLOYEES

                                   By:  LASALLE NATIONAL BANK, Trustee
        

                                   By:________________________________
                                      ____________________________

<PAGE>
EXHIBIT INDEX



Exhibit                             						Consecutive
                                 									Page Number

4.3 	Eagle Food Centers, Inc. 401(k) Plan
    	For Collectively Bargained Employees			    10


23.	 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP				       63



<PAGE>
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "secsgml_size_bytes": 14132}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "EAGLE FOOD CENTERS INC", "cik": "0000030908", "assigned-sic": "5411", "irs-number": "363548019", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "0131"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-20705", "film-number": "97514304"}, "business-address": {"street1": "RTE 67 KNOXVILLE RD", "city": "MILAN", "state": "IL", "zip": "61264", "phone": "3097877730"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "PO BOX 6700", "city": "ROCK ISLAND", "state": "IL", "zip": "61204-6700"}}
Registration No. xx-xxxx

               UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                          Washington, D.C.  20549
                                FORM S-8
           REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                         Eagle Food Centers, Inc.
        (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
	
                   Delaware						   		        36-3548019
      (State or other jurisdiction of        (IRS Employer
       incorporation or organization)						Identification No.)

        Rt. 67 & Knoxville Rd., Milan, IL					   61264
    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)					(Zip Code)

   Eagle Food Centers, Inc. 401(k) Plan For Collectively Bargained Employees
                         (Full title of the plan)
 
     Herbert T. Dotterer, Rt. 67 & Knoxville Rd., Milan, IL  61264
                (Name and address of agent for service)
                             (309) 787-7730
       (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copy to:
      David B. VanSickel, 666 Walnut, Suite 2500, Des Moines, Iowa  50309
                           (Name and address)
                            (515) 288-2500
                           (Telephone number)

Calculation of Registration Fee
Proposed          Proposed       Amount of
Title of securities  Amount to be  maximum offering  maximum aggregate  registration
to be registered      registered   price per share   offering price       fee
Common Stock,         1,000,000       $4.00(1)         $4,000,000        $1,212.12
$.01 par value          shares
per share
In addition, pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement also covers an indeterminate amount of interests to be
offered or sold pursuant to the employee benefit plan described herin.

(1)	Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in
accordance with Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act based on the last sale
price of the Common Stock on January 24, 1997.
PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION 
STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

	The documents listed in (a) through (c) below are incorporated by 
reference in the registration statement; all documents subsequently filed by 
the registrant or the Eagle Food Center, Inc. 401(k) Plan For Collectively 
Bargained Employees (the "Plan") pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, prior to the filing of a post-
effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold 
or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to 
be incorporated by reference in the registration statement and to be part 
thereof from the date of filing of such documents.

	(a)	The registrant's annual report on Form 10K for the fiscal year 
ended February 3, 1996 filed pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

	(b)	The registrant's quarterly reports on Form 10Q for the first, 
second and third quarters for the fiscal year ending February 1, 1997 filed 
pursuant to Section 13(a) of  the Exchange Act..  The registrant has not filed 
any other reports pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act 
since the end of the fiscal year covered by the registrant documents referred 
to in (a) above.

	(c)	The description of common stock contained in the registration 
statement filed with the Commission on Form 8-A under Section 12 of the 
Exchange Act, on July 14, 1989.

Item 4.  Description of Securities.

	Refer to response to Item 3(c) above.

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

	None.

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

	Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware 
provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, 
employee or agent of the corporation and certain other persons serving at the 
request of the corporation in related capacities against amounts paid and 
expenses incurred in connection with an action or proceeding to which he is 
or is threatened to be made a party by reason of such position, if such person 
shall have acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in 
or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal 
proceeding, if such person had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct 
was unlawful, provided that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right 
of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any 
matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the 
corporation unless and only to the extent that the adjudicating court 
determines that such indemnification is proper under the circumstances.  The 
Company's Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Company shall 
indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the 
Delaware General Corporation Law.

	The Company's Certificate of Incorporation also provides that no 
director shall be liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary 
damages for breach of his fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i)
for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the Company or its 
stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve 
intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 
of the Delaware General Corporation Law or (iv) for any transaction in which 
the director derived an improper personal benefit.

	The Bylaws of the Company contain provisions to the effect that each 
director, officer and employee of the Company shall be indemnified by the 
Company against liabilities and expenses in connection with any legal 
proceeding to which he may be made a party or with which he may become 
involved or threatened by reason of having been an officer, director or 
employee of the Company or of any other organization at the request of the 
Company.  The provisions include indemnification with respect to matters 
covered by a settlement.  Any such indemnification shall be made only if the 
Board determines by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of disinterested 
directors (or, if such quorum is not obtainable, or if the Board of Directors 
directs, by independent legal counsel or by stockholders), that 
indemnification is proper in the circumstances because the person seeking 
indemnification has met applicable standards of conduct.  It must be 
determined that the director, officer or employee acted in good faith with the 
reasonable belief that his action was in or not opposed to the best interest of 
the Company, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, he had 
no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

	The Company maintains directors' and officers' liability insurance 
under which the Company's directors and officers are insured against loss (as 
defined) as a result of claims brought against them alleging breach of duty, 
neglect, error or misstatement while acting in such capacities.

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed.

	Not applicable.

Item 8.  Exhibits.

	4.3	Eagle Food Centers, Inc. 401(k) Plan For Collectively Bargained 
Employees.
	
	23.	Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

	The registrant undertakes to submit or has submitted the Plan and any 
amendments thereto to the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") in a timely 
manner and has made or will make all changes required by the IRS in order to 
qualify the Plan.

Item 9.  Undertakings.

	The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: 

	(1)	To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being 
made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

		(i)	To include any prospectus required by section 10(a) (3) of 
the Securities Act of 1933;

		(ii)	To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising 
after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-
effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, 
represents a fundamental change in the information set forth in the 
registration statement;

		(iii)	To include any material information with respect to the 
plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or 
any material change to such information in the registration statement; 
provided, however, that paragraphs (a) (1) (i) and (a) (1) (ii) do not apply if 
the information required to be included in a posteffective amendment by 
those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant 
pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

	(2)	That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the 
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed 
to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, 
and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the
initial bona fide offering thereof.  

	(3)	To remove from registration by means of a post-effective 
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the 
termination of the offering.

	The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of 
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the 
registrant's annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an 
employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the 
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement 
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

	Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities 
Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of 
the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange 
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 
Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for 
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the 
registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling 
person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or 
proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in 
connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in 
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such 
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will 
be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
SIGNATURES

	Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration 
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized in the Village of Milan, and the State of Illinois, on this
28th day of January, 1997.

Date:      January 28, 1997        REGISTRANT:
                                   EAGLE FOOD CENTERS, INC.

                                   By: \s\	
                                   Robert J. Kelly, President, Chief Executive
                                   Officer and Director

	Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration
statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the
date indicated.

Date:      January  28, 1997       Martin J. Rabinowitz
                                   Chairman of the Board and Director

Date:      January  28, 1997       Robert J. Kelly, President, Chief Executive
                                   Officer and Director

Date:      January 28 , 1997       Herbert T. Dotterer
                                   Senior Vice President-Finance and
                                   Chief Financial and Accounting Officer, 
                                   Director and Secretary

Date:      January 28, 1997        Pasquale V. Petitti, Director

Date:      January 28, 1997        Steven M. Friedman, Director

Date:      January 28, 1997        Alain M. Oberrotman, Director

Date:      January 28, 1997        Michael J. Knilans, Director

Date:      January  28, 1997       William J. Snyder, Director

Date:      January 28, 1997        Peter B. Foreman, Director

Date:      January 28, 1997        Marc C. Particelli, Director
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the trustees (or
other persons who administer the employee benefit plan) have duly caused this
registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, on 
January 28, 1997.

Date:      January 28, 1997        PLAN:
                                   EAGLE FOOD CENTERS, INC. 401(k) PLAN
                                   FOR COLLECTIVELY BARGAINED 
                                   EMPLOYEES

                                   By:  LASALLE NATIONAL BANK, Trustee
        

                                   By:________________________________
                                      ____________________________
EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit                             						Consecutive
                                 									Page Number

4.3 	Eagle Food Centers, Inc. 401(k) Plan
    	For Collectively Bargained Employees			    10

23.	 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP				       63