Swine flu takes toll on Smithfield foods

The company, based in Smithfield , saw double-digit declines in fresh pork sales last week among some of its leading customers, said C. Larry Pope, the company's president and CEO.

[MJS09]

Bottom line: Smithfield should NOT be processing their foods in Mexico...keep our Legal American workers with jobs...not the ones south of the border!

[The usual suspects]

They moved most of their hog operations to Mexico because DEQ was on their backs about wastewater treatment and labor is much cheaper.

[Big Bull Security Co]

There isn't anything like a little "beefed" up security on a pig farm!

[OMG]

Captain Love wrote:

C. Larry Pope should be made to stand in a sweltering crate for hours then hauled several hundred miles with other screaming pigs then put on an assembly line and then be shot in the forehead, then gutted, salted, dried, and sold and fed to other animals in the form of human bacon and ham.

Oh grow up.

[heyimbobo]

Enough of this overblown story!!!! This still takes up 5-10 minutes of the morning news broadcasts here in Hampton Roads because there's obviously nothing else interesting!!!

[Ummmm]

heyimbobo wrote:

Enough of this overblown story!!!! This still takes up 5-10 minutes of the morning news broadcasts here in Hampton Roads because there's obviously nothing else interesting!!!

Their company is losing sales because of this. It's not overblown. They need to make sure the public knows that there's nothing wrong with their products so they stop losing money!

[Umama bin Mahdi Lama]

The swine flu is Allah's divine punishment on the infidel Americans!

[Chet]

Wait, pork had a double-digit sales decline because people are afraid that they'll get swine flu from pork products?

There can't really be THAT many stupid people, can there?

[Zot]

How many times do people have to be told there is no link between eating pork and swine flu - Oink-oink-a-choo!!!

- Ha!!! Ha!!! Ha!!! Ha!!!

[Mary]

I purchased stock in Smithfield Foods. I think they are getting a bum rap. I guess the DP will continue to refer to the flu as "swine flu." If anything, there should be an article reminding everyone that SF is one of our larger employers & they have a world famous trade name which is good for Virginia and that eating pork is safe.

[w_t_f]

MJS09 wrote:

Bottom line: Smithfield should NOT be processing their foods in Mexico...keep our Legal American workers with jobs...not the ones south of the border!

I agree. They recently cut many jobs here recently. Kharma will get you.

[Smithfield Bill]

The whole idea that Smithfield Foods is responsible for veriety of influenza is utterly rediculus. The whole scare is meerly a ploy to cripple a capitalist business, and to shove Obummer's dream of Universal Health Care. Universal Health Care = Helath Care at the LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR.

[OMG]

Captain Love wrote:

<quoted text>
Got compassion?

Plenty. But I know when it's appropriate.

[Consumer rights]

Right or wrong, consumers have the right to choose the products they want to buy or avoid. For the most part, I stay away from pork products not because they are bad because I want another type of meat.
Should Smithfield have opened a pig plant in Mexico? Time will tell. But you can't blame a consumer who decides not to buy pork because they are concerned. It's not the paper's job to influence a free market.

[Paco]

MJS09 wrote:

Bottom line: Smithfield should NOT be processing their foods in Mexico...keep our Legal American workers with jobs...not the ones south of the border!

Has anyone given the thought that maybe the Mexico plant produced pork for Mexico, not the US????
Believe it or not, Mexicans eat pork too...

[Mary]

Consumer rights wrote:

Right or wrong, consumers have the right to choose the products they want to buy or avoid. For the most part, I stay away from pork products not because they are bad because I want another type of meat.
Should Smithfield have opened a pig plant in Mexico? Time will tell. But you can't blame a consumer who decides not to buy pork because they are concerned. It's not the paper's job to influence a free market.

Exactly -- but they do influence the free market by referring to the flu as swine flu. It's a misrepresentation. I don't eat pork either but it's not because I'm afraid I'll catch the flu.

[Red Skelton]

The company holds to the highest standards then why open a plant in one of the filthiest places on earth (Mexico)

[Michael Meyers]

I will not buy any products that come out of Mexico and I hope some folks will join me in this. Smithfield if you want my business then use American workers and pay the taxes in this country.

[Blair]

Read this and maybe you will never want to eat pork again. Smithfield is pathetic.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12...

[Other White Meat]

Captain Love wrote:

Got compassion?

Captain Love wrote:

And the intense suffering of sentient beings is not worthy.

So how much lipstick do you put on your pig? Love is truly blind, "Captain".