The WH Group is also the majority shareholder in Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co. — China’s top meat producer. So, why does Smithfield Foods — and who owns it — matter for the U. S. food system? Let’s take a look.
As a bacon lover, I was alarmed when I recently saw social media posts claiming Smithfield bacon is raised in the US, sent to China for processing, and then shipped back here to be sold.
This seemed hard to believe. But with so much misinformation floating around, I wanted to dig into the details and find the truth.
In this article, I’ll walk you through what I learned in my investigation into whether Smithfield bacon is processed in China. You’ll discover:
- Smithfield’s history and connection to a Chinese company
- How their bacon is actually produced according to the company
- What government agencies say about imported meat safety
- My conclusion after weighing all the evidence
Arm yourself with the facts before believing sensational claims about Smithfield meats Keep reading to learn the real story!
Smithfield’s Acquisition by a Chinese Company
First, let’s look at Smithfield’s ownership. In 2013, the majority of Smithfield Foods was acquired by Shuanghui International Holdings, headquartered in Hong Kong.
Shuanghui is China’s largest meat processing company. The move gave them a bigger foothold in the American market to meet growing pork demand in China.
This Chinese acquisition sparked some misleading theories about Smithfield products being raised and processed in China.
But here’s the key fact: Smithfield continues operating as an American company. While it has a Chinese parent company, Smithfield maintains its own U.S. facilities under American regulations.
How Smithfield Says Their Bacon Is Produced
According to Smithfield’s website, all their pork products, including bacon, are processed in one of their 50+ facilities across America.
The company insists no Smithfield meats come from animals raised or processed in China. Pigs are farmed in the U.S. and bacon is manufactured domestically in Smithfield plants.
Smithfield bacon adheres to U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration standards. Their products are subject to the same regulations whether owned by an American or foreign parent company.
I reached out to Smithfield directly and a spokeswoman confirmed these details. She reiterated that claims of pigs being sent to China for processing are “absolutely false.”
The FDA Debunks Fears About Imported Meat Safety
But what about all meat imported from abroad? Is that unsafe as some social posts imply?
The FDA confirms that any meats imported to the U.S. must meet the same safety requirements as domestic products. All meats are regulated for quality whether from China, Canada or elsewhere.
The FDA also dispels misinformation about specific products like tuna, garlic and frozen veggies being unsafe when imported. They work closely with federal agencies to ensure any dangerous food risks are communicated to consumers.
After Reviewing the Facts, Smithfield’s Operations Check Out
Given the evidence, it seems clear that Smithfield’s bacon and other pork products are indeed processed right here in America, not shipped to China.
While Smithfield is now owned by a Chinese company, their U.S. operations remain under close government oversight. Their bacon is produced in Smithfield’s domestic plants and kitchens under FDA and USDA regulations.
Imported meat from reputable companies also goes through safety checks, despite alarmist claims. As with any food, you should follow storage and preparation guidelines for best quality.
The bottom line is I found no proof that Smithfield bacon takes some convoluted journey to China and back again. These viral graphics are meant to provoke outrage, not communicate accurate information.
Hundreds of Thousands of Acres
NPR reports that nearly 384,000 acres of farmland within the United States are now Chinese-owned, giving rise to concerns that some of that land may be owned by individuals tied to the Chinese government, and could have been purchased due to the land’s proximity to U.S. military bases. However, these concerns may be overblown. Only around one percent of U.S. farmland is foreign-owned at all, and Chinese-owned land accounts for a very small portion of those 40 million acres.
Canada, by far, is the country that owns the most U. S. land; 12. 8 million acres. The second spot is held by the Netherlands, with 4. 9 million acres. China ranks 18th on the list.
Legislation introduced to Congress would limit the amount of U.S. land that can be owned by Chinese entities, a move also being taken by more than a dozen U.S. states, including Florida and Virginia.
In Virginia, 96 percent of the state’s Chinese-owned land is owned by Murphy Brown LLC, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, according to the Smithfield Times (the news outlet’s name refers to the city of Smithfield; not the pork producer of the same name). Just 501 acres, or four percent, of Virginia’s Chinese-owned land is not owned by Smithfield.
The Smithfield Times does say that Smithfield Foods “doubts the numbers” that the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services gave them. Jim Monroe, Smithfield’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, says that the company only owns 4,000 acres in Virginia.
Monroe also said that Smithfield Foods is “not owned or controlled by a foreign government” and is not affected by Virginia’s law that lets local leaders get rid of a “foreign adversary,” making their land its own.
At the Top of the U.S. Pork Industry
Smithfield Grain, the arm of the vertically-integrated company that is responsible for producing massive amounts of crops to feed its farmed pigs, called the WH Group’s purchase “a perfect collaboration between the Asian-based company with a hearty appetite for high quality U.S. produced pork and the world’s leading pork producer.”
“Our operations are still based in small communities around the U. S. Smithfield Grain says that more than 50,000 employees and 2,100 contract pork producers work together to make good food in a responsible way.
As we’ll get into later, those impacted by polluted water in Missouri would beg to differ.
Who’s behind the Chinese takeover of a U.S. pork producer?
Why did Shuanghui buy Smithfield?
Shuanghui, the Chinese company that bought Smithfield, did so primarily to secure a supply of pork to feed rising demand in China (the world’s biggest pork market), not to export pork products from China to the U.S. Forbes magazine reported that:
Did Smithfield Foods sell to China?
The post claims that Smithfield Foods was recently sold to China. It also advises against buying certain food products unless they are clearly marked from the USA or Canada.
Is Smithfield Foods shipping more pork to China?
Smithfield Foods’ latest turn toward China is an unusual shift for America’s so-called ham capital, which boasts a museum featuring the world’s oldest ham and streets dotted with brightly colored pig sculptures. Mayor T. Carter Williams said he heard from company workers that the plant is shipping more pork to China.
Who owns Smithfield Foods?
Bought by China’s WH Group Ltd <0288.HK> six years ago for $4.7 billion, Smithfield Foods has retooled U.S. processing operations to direct meat to China, which produced half the world’s pork before swine fever decimated the industry.