Smithfield’s owned by China company

JNDATHP

Any concerns here?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithfield_Foods

Is Smithfield’s still exporting to China?

Botch

No.
I'm originally from Sioux Falls, and my 87-year-old Mom (along with my sis, BIL, nephew, and way too many friends) still live there (thankfully, Mom still lives independently).  
Neither the Sioux Falls mayor, nor the SD guv'nor, would put any kind of restrictions on anything.  The Smithfield plant is currently shut down, but that was by the Owners, not the government.  
FWIW.  

fishlessman

https://www.marketplace.org/2020/05/11/covid-19-us-meat-exports-china/

JethroBodeen

The product has suffered since the Chinese took over too. I look for other brands now. I was raised in a time when Smithfield was the ham. Albeit, long before the boutique hams were a thing...lol

The bacon sucks now too.

Botch

fishlessman said:

https://www.marketplace.org/2020/05/11/covid-19-us-meat-exports-china/

China has been ramping up its purchases of American meat products, because it’s faced its own shortages “due to a pig disease called African swine fever that’s led to the death of half the country’s herd over the past two years,” Reuters reports.

I usually include the BBC as a part of my daily news, but this is the first I've heard of this.  Over half the population, Wow!  

JNDATHP

JethroBodeen said:

The product has suffered since the Chinese took over too. I look for other brands now. I was raised in a time when Smithfield was the ham. Albeit, long before the boutique hams were a thing...lol

The bacon sucks now too.

What brand do you buy that is available at most mega marts?

GregW

My absolute favorite brand of pork is Prairie Fresh, it is sometimes hard to find. I have a local Piggly Wiggly that gets it in periodically. The meat manager says all the pork they get in is a commodity product - This is a code word for whatever is cheapest on his order form. 
There is no preference given to getting the best quality product, it's all about the lowest price. I have tried to order a whole case, and they can't specifically order the Prairie Fresh.
For what it's worth, Prairie Fresh claims to be the largest American owned pork producer. 

Chief9

You would be surprised at how many bacon brands are packaged differently but are actually smfd bacon.  The local plant hasn't shut down, they slaughter over 8k hogs a day.

JohnInCarolina

Chief9 said:

The local plant hasn't shut down, they slaughter over 8k hogs a day.

Ho Lee Chit.

JNDATHP

To have our largest pork processor owned by China is a travesty. Food supply is one way to starve an enemy. Seems the only reason Smithfields changed from carcass processing (preferred by China) to a more American model is the invocation of the Defense Production Act. 

The largest American owned pork processor is Prairie Fresh (self proclaimed) but they seem to only be available in grocery stores mostly east of the Mississippi so they can’t be that large in the overall scheme of things. 

JNDATHP

BTW, we traveled the continental US in our RV for 10 years full time and when we saw our first Piggly Wiggly we just had to go in and shop!

nolaegghead

(Nuclear explosion sound for people worried about foreign owned companies in US controlling food supply here)

http://www.foodandpower.net/2018/04/26/ranchers-oppose-marfrig-acquisition-that-would-spell-more-foreign-control-of-us-beef/

nolaegghead

What I'm more worried about is how we suck at controlling food safety in the US when we used to be relatively good at it and how big corporations are gobbling all the small producers up to monopolize markets by controlling (fixing/influencing) the costs.

JNDATHP

Smithfield, which China’s WH Group bought for $4.7 billion in 2013, was the biggest U.S. exporter to China from January to March, according to Panjiva, a division of S&P Global Market Intelligence. Smithfield shipped at least 13,680 tonnes by sea in March, Panjiva said, citing its most recent data.

nolaegghead

Well, exporting good (grunt noise), trade balance and all that.  Are you some kind of commie?  

nolaegghead

That was sarcasm, FWIW.  I'm not happy about any domestic industry being controlled remotely, as a true American patriot, but y'know, many companies are global operations, and you need to think about what *specific* grievance you are trying to air....

nolaegghead

That the Chinese imposed tariffs against an (one of many) exporter they own really seems like shooting oneself in the foot.  Maybe they just like to invest in something they eat, I dunno.

nolaegghead

Insofar as the "starving the enemy" argument goes, I suppose they never heard of the Defence Production Act.  Just shows how dumb the Chinese are, am I right?!

JohnInCarolina

You know what China owns that actually gives them a lot of influence?  About 1.1 TRILLION in US debt.  The equivalent of 200 Smithfield companies, in other words.

StillH2OEgger

JohnInCarolina said:

You know what China owns that actually gives them a lot of influence?  About 1.1 TRILLION in US debt.  The equivalent of 200 Smithfield companies, in other words.

I think Trump just planned on using bankruptcy to make that go away. Might help his reelection if he can pull that off.

fishlessman

whats another 3 trillion

JohnInCarolina

fishlessman said:

whats another 3 trillion

You're confused.

fishlessman

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

whats another 3 trillion

You're confused.

yes, its hard to understand numbers like 3 trillion when i never have more than 40 bucks in my pocket

JohnInCarolina

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

whats another 3 trillion

You're confused.

yes, its hard to understand numbers like 3 trillion when i never have more than 40 bucks in my pocket

It doesn't have anything to do with that.  I was commenting on the use of the Pelosi picture in response to the observation that China owns a cool trillion of our debt.  I understand that there is all kinds of irrational hatred of her but... come on man.  

fishlessman

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

whats another 3 trillion

You're confused.

yes, its hard to understand numbers like 3 trillion when i never have more than 40 bucks in my pocket

It doesn't have anything to do with that.  I was commenting on the use of the Pelosi picture in response to the observation that China owns a cool trillion of our debt.  I understand that there is all kinds of irrational hatred of her but... come on man.  

thats just a pic of her at 3pm today asking for 3 trillion, i have not gotten to see her speech yet, probably be tonight. i dont hate on pelosi, shes in a hard place with the way the party has divided

JohnInCarolina

OK fish.

Bama_Man

I would never buy Smithfield again and haven’t in a long time.  Look for the original bar code on a product.  Chinese products begin with either 690, 691 or 692

YukonRon

As odd as this may sound, China buys more soybeans from us than anything, besides our debt.

Diesel_Hokie

Bama_Man said:

I would never buy Smithfield again and haven’t in a long time.  Look for the original bar code on a product.  Chinese products begin with either 690, 691 or 692

Not sure about the bar code thing...  https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/apr/23/viral-image/barcode-wont-tell-you-if-product-was-made-china/

SonVolt

Forwards from Grandma...

JohnInCarolina

SonVolt said:

Forwards from Grandma...

You get those too?  Maybe we are cousins?