topic Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!! in Kitchen

Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

corvettesandy — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 22:26:38 GMT

Hi,

In September Smithfield Company was sold to a company in China. Since then all of their food products are raised here but are then sent to China to be slaughtered and packaged before being sent back to the US. The only thing that needs to be put on the label is that the product was RAISED in the US, not that it was processed in China (kind of of sneaky, I think). The China slaughter processing are not nearly equal to the requirements here. Our great FDA at work again. Too bad, another American Company has fallen into foreign hands. I will never buy another Smithfield product again and neither will any of my friends. Articles are appearing in newspapers all over making the American people aware of how Smithfield are handling their processing. Thank-you!

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

terrier3 — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 22:30:45 GMT

I agree...I try very hard to NEVER eat anything from China - same with my pets.

The FDA has been gutted by budget cuts. The guys in the House don't want more oversight - they want LESS.

A little known fact - before the last guy left in Jan. 2009, the appointed heads of many departments were DEMOTED to civil service jobs. This way, their ideas and ideals were embedded - it's VERY difficult to get rid of civil service employees. The FDA saw a LOT of appointed people get these kind of "demotions." They are anti-regulation and many used to work for food manufacturers.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

Danielle46 — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 23:07:33 GMT

Thanks for the information. I'm with you and will no longer be buying their products. Now I will be curious to see what the future products of Tarte will be like since she sold to a company in China that does animal testing.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

goodstuff — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 23:15:18 GMT

Check Snopes. While it's true that Smithfield was sold to a Chinese company, there's no evidence they will be "sending animals to china to be slaughtered and processed and then sending the meat back to America". In fact, that roundabout route doesn't seem to make much sense. For sure, the rapidly growing demand for Smithfield's products in China made the buyout attractive to a Chinese company.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

KYToby — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 23:19:45 GMT

Do you have any reputable, credible sources for this information. Yes, a Chinese company purchased Smithfield, but at the time of the purchase, Smithfield assured that the food sold here would continue to be raised and processed in the U.S. In fact, Smithfield's CEO testified before Congress that it would increase U.S. jobs because it would increase the demand for U.S. pork (which the Chinese market loves).

I am unable to find any sources indicating that Smithfield foods being sold here are not processed here. Smithfield has a horrible record, and there are many reasons not to buy their products -- horrific animal rights abuses, unfair treatment of labor, and the fact that their products are just not very good -- but at least be honest and know why you are avoiding them rather than basing your decisions upon hysteria and misinformation.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

gardenman — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 23:21:52 GMT

On 7/19/2014 GoodStuff said:
Check Snopes. While it's true that Smithfield was sold to a Chinese company, there's no evidence they will be "sending animals to china to be slaughtered and processed and then sending the meat back to America". In fact, that roundabout route doesn't seem to make much sense. For sure, the rapidly growing demand for Smithfield's products in China made the buyout attractive to a Chinese company.

It makes no financial sense to send animals to China for processing and then returning them here. Transporting live animals to China in quantity is expensive and time consuming and makes no sense.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

depglass — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 00:48:08 GMT

The FDA has been gutted by people with no guts. I was just reading today that not a single sunscreen ingredient has been approved for USA use since 1999. Europe is way ahead of us.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

Pickwickpapers — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 01:06:53 GMT

Whoever is making the FDA rules needs to go.......all these changes cannot be good for consumers.......why and what are the benefits? Food prices keep rising and quality recalls are on the news.......whatever happened to real food?

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

corvettesandy — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 01:10:42 GMT

For those that are doubting what I wrote about the practice of Smithfield and the company that they sold their business to, do a little investigating on your own. On the website look up the company Shuanghui International (the company that bought Smithfield) and read about their business practices and the trouble they have been in for their slaughtering and feeding of their animals. Their are several good articles on the internet that will never want you to buy a piece of meat that they are associated with. Check out www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/29smithfield-shuanghui-merger written by Eleazar David Melendez posted 5/29/2013. Smithfield might say everything will stay the same, but when a foreign company buys out an American company, things don't stay the same for long. Do some research on your own and see what you come up with. I will not ever buy anything from Smithfield again. Also, check out who is making Star-Kist Tuna now??????

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

brewhaha — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 01:30:30 GMT

Doesn't bother me.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

EnglishRose88 — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 02:01:45 GMT

On 7/19/2014 brewhaha said:
Doesn't bother me.

Doesn't bother me either! People are always in a panic over something. And this information isn't even correct. Sending pigs raised in the USA to China for slaughtering and packaging.....then sending the meat back to the USA does not make any sense at all. If that were true, Smithfield's pork prices would be way more expensive than other brands. So expensive that most people could not afford to buy and the company would go broke. Stupid story.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

goodstuff — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 04:16:23 GMT

On 7/19/2014 corvettesandy said:
For those that are doubting what I wrote about the practice of Smithfield and the company that they sold their business to, do a little investigating on your own. On the website look up the company Shuanghui International (the company that bought Smithfield) and read about their business practices and the trouble they have been in for their slaughtering and feeding of their animals. Their are several good articles on the internet that will never want you to buy a piece of meat that they are associated with. Check out www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/29smithfield-shuanghui-merger written by Eleazar David Melendez posted 5/29/2013. Smithfield might say everything will stay the same, but when a foreign company buys out an American company, things don't stay the same for long. Do some research on your own and see what you come up with. I will not ever buy anything from Smithfield again. Also, check out who is making Star-Kist Tuna now??????

I give animal activists more respect and attention when they aren't spreading hysterical rumors and inaccurate information. There may well be valid concerns about this Chinese company's treatment of animals, processing techniques, etc. But they are NOT going to ship live animals from America to China for slaughter and processing and then ship the meat back to the USA. Makes NO sense whatsoever.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

kittymomNC — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 04:32:01 GMT

On 7/19/2014 depglass said:
The FDA has been gutted by people with no guts. I was just reading today that not a single sunscreen ingredient has been approved for USA use since 1999. Europe is way ahead of us.

The FDA, the EPA which protects our air and water, Wall Street...the house majority wants no regulations whatever to protect us so they can protect the big business interests. All to the detriment of the American people.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

Nightowlz — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 04:32:41 GMT

I have noticed different meats in the grocery store say raised, harvested, born in the USA on them. You have to look for it because the print is small. Maybe if a Chinese company owns it they don't have to put it on there. I'm not sure. Makes no sense why they would have the pigs etc born & raised in the USA & harvested in China.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

cinebee — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 04:33:49 GMT

I have been boycotting them for quite a while now.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

GSPgirl — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 04:34:19 GMT

I boycott them for how they treat their employees here in my state.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

Bird — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 05:53:04 GMT

I've seen hidden videos of the Smithfield slaughtering here in the states and it was so awful that to this day I have to work at pushing aside the horrific images in my brain. There are SO MANY brand names under the Smithfield umbrella. Someone posted them here last time there was a thread about it. We should all look them up again.

Slaughter is horrific here in the states, too, though. I have the means to raise animals for meat (but don't) but found out about the limited number of legal slaughterhouses from which we can choose. Horrific videos have come out of them too and now it is illegal to take videos of the inside of the facilities, to expose the practices to the public. They don't want you to know because some of you, like it was with me, will decide it's too nasty to eat animals that have had to go through that torture and cruelty. - Bird

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

Mindy D — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 06:06:12 GMT

Goodstuff, when I went to the link, the article is no longer available.

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Mindy D — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 06:10:23 GMT

It would not be cost effective to do this. It is sad to see America disassembled, piece-by-piece. The new owners will have control over pricing to American consumers.

Re: Will Never Buy Another Smithfield Food Product!!!!!

krissie622 — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 06:13:12 GMT

How living things are slaughtered is horrific no matter where it is done. Anyone who believes differently is kidding themselves. The cost and risk of raising animals here and then shipping them halfway across the world to be slaughtered tells me this is bad info, at least that portion. They would lose weight, get sick, etc., all things that effect the bottom line. Animals intended for food and processing plants are pretty much always located close to one another.