Kitchen

[PamelaSue72]

I will never buy a Smithfield product....it has nothing to do with Paula Deen, but much to do about the way they abuse the animals. There's a humane way to care for them....Smithfield does not go that route. It will snow completely around the equator before I buy anything that company has to offer.

[olewoman]

They were on news few months back for cruelty to animals.swore i would by nothing from smithfied.I will not eat food made in china.never

[suzyQ3]

On 3/23/2015 GoodStuff said:

There is NO WAY pork is being raised in the U.S., sent to China for processing, and then sent back to the U.S for sale and consumption. That would make no practical or financial sense whatsoever. And meat raised and processed in the U.S. has to meet USDA standards.

I hate to see foreign companies taking over U.S. businesses -- but if we want that to stop, we need to develop a business environment and less punitive tax structures here that encourage the growth and development of business HERE!! The Chinese and others are going to eat our economic lunch if we don't get smarter and if we continue to think it's a great idea to punish businesses for being profitable and successful here at home.

Yes, well, I do hear this idea from certain quarters repeated constantly that we must lower taxes even more for businesses and do whatever we can to woo them, which usually translates into fewer health and safety regulations and more leeway when it comes to treatment of employees.

If we let them, corporations will always chase the next low-wage, fewer regulations environment. Thankfully, we at least give lip service here to the importance of a middle-class that has been shrinking dramatically between the poles of the poor and the wealthy.

Interesting that today's Los Angeles Times notes that California has topped all other states in job creation this year, including Texas (touted as "business-friendly":

For years, business lobbyists complained about what they derided as "job killer" laws that drive employers out of California

Rival state governors, notably former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, made highly publicized visits to the Golden State in hopes of poaching jobs.

But new numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tell a different story. Total jobs created in the 12 months ending Jan. 31 show California leading other states. California gained 498,000 new jobs, almost 30% more than the Lone Star State's total of 392,900 for the same period.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-capitol-business-beat-20150323-story.html

[maryebrown_1]

Thanks for the info ! I don't like ham anyway (too salty for my taste), and last night I asked DH what he wanted for Easter Dinner -- he said Leg of Lamb.

I don't eat chicken (I'm allergic to it) so when I buy it for DH and DS, I buy Perdue. It's the only brand that does not give DH headaches.

[moonstone dunes]

Smithfield Brands

[chickenbutt]

Thanks for posting that info, Moonstone!

A lot of people don't know that and it matters.

[moonstone dunes]

On 3/23/2015 chickenbutt said:

Thanks for posting that info, Moonstone!

A lot of people don't know that and it matters.

happy to help chickenbutt. I would always buy John Morrelll bacon or a Cooks ham thinking they were better!

[poshmini]

I don't buy Smithfield products, even though we live not far from Smithfield. I usually buy organic products from farm markets. You know how these foods are processed. It seems to me such extremes to send the hams etc. to China then back again to the U.S. I'd be afraid of contamination from the journey and all. I don't buy chicken from big chain ware houses either, their chicken looks way to large for a "normal" chicken should be. They are full of hormones and chemicals. If you want an eye opener watch the documentary called FOOD INC. they explain where your food comes from and how the government controls so much and the farmers. And how inhuman they treat these animals before slaughter. It's really disturbing but makes you more aware of what is really going on here. So many don't trust China and their practices but we've got skeletons in our own closets here in the U.S. as well. Although the U.S. standards are better in a lot of ways than China we still have a lot of clean up to do right here on our land. Buy local and organic and read the labels for how the meat is processed and where, boycott what you feel is not up to good standards for you and your family.

[ValuSkr]

China is the world's largest market for pork. Smithfield products shipped to China will be consumed there, never to return to the U.S. You can read all about it at Snopes:

Snopes research regarding Smithfield rumor

Feel free to boycott them though. It will affect American jobs, not their health.

[MalteseMomma]

shocking (I'm not kidding)