Kitchen

[corvettesandy]

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!

[terrier3]

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.

[Danielle46]

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.

[goodstuff]

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.

[KYToby]

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.

[gardenman]

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.

[depglass]

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.

[Pickwickpapers]

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?

[corvettesandy]

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??????

[brewhaha]

Doesn't bother me.