Smithfield Ham and Undocumented Workers - Hot Dogs for the Poor?

A controversy has surrounded Smithfield Hams company for several years in the 200s and 2010s, involving 1) the alleged use of undocumented workers, 2) the alleged low quality of meats donated to the poor once a year, 3) the high-priced and conspicuous consumerism promulgated by the company and its advertising programs, and 4) pig abuse. Some of the company's ad programs include a link to the Food Network and their Paula Deen, who worked herself up to her 21st Century status through innovation and much toiling as a single mom of two sons - a real American Dream type of story.

The question the public sometimes asks is that, having scraped one's way to the top, does one become like many others on the summit: spending too much, eating too much, wasting too much and feeling empty? We hope not. I don't think Paula Deen is that person.

Rumors claim that Smithfield Foods has taken on certain numbers of undocumented workers from Mexico each business quarter, worked them at low wages, and then turned them in to INS in order to keep fresh supplies of low-paid workers cycling through, while avoiding censure and legal actions. I'd like to know if this is true or conspiracy theory. Reading the book and viewing the DVD of Eirc Schlosser's Fast Food Nation can feed into the latter.

• Smithfield sells hog farm to Prestage Farms --Smithfield Foods Inc., sold its Texhoma OK hog production operations to Prestage Farms Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Smithfield said the farms do not supply any of the company's pork processing plants. What did they do with the hogs?

In late December 2010, a report was released to sum the independent investigations run on Smithfield Foods. This involved allegations of the Human Society of the US about mishandling sows at Waverly farms. Smithfield fired three employees for pig abuse after screening secret video footage and criticized an investigator that worked undercover and eithe rcontrinbuted to the abuse or did not stop it. Read that report HERE at this link.

I think Smithfield took appropriate action and hope the company will prevent further abuses. This will likely take either more frequent spot checks of work areas or survelliance camera installation that will drive up costs.

Smithfield Foods is well favored in Hampton Roads, Virginia - a rich metro area. Smithfield donates 1000s of pounds of actual whole hams to the food banks in that area for some Easter seasons, as reported by local newspapers and TV reports, as well as porkNetwork.com (publishes both good and bad reports in at least 10 pages of links). Further, a state-employed veterinarian passed inspection on Smithfield pig handling routines and methods in Hampton Roads after the firing of the three employees mentioned above.

So far, since Christmas 2010, no pig abuse, hot dogs, or illegal aliens have been found in Hampton Roads to my knowledge. There may still be a controversy over pig crates that is under public scrutiny across the country.

"-Smithfield Foods...After ICE agents raided the Tar Heel, NC plant and arrested 21 illegal alien workers, 500 workers with fake Social Security numbers were promptly fired from the factory. Another raid in August 2007, netted 28 more illegal aliens, all were from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras"  Continue reading this material on Examiner.com at the LINK HERE.

Not the only pork company to be held accountable, Smithfield was joined on the list of working the undocumented by Swift Premium. This is the sole event I can find related to Smithfield Foods and undocumentated workers, so perhaps company authorities have tightened their hiring and review processes.

Smithfield has attempted to support sustainability and the environment, having wond an Enironmental Award in 2007: the Virginia Governor's Environmental Excellence Award. However, the company then sold it's biofuel affliate in February 2008, both facts according to articles on porkNetwork.com. In the same year, Smithfield won a sustainability award from McDonald's USA. I'd bet the food chain is a customer of the pig chain. Further, since December 2010, I've noticed large bone chips in the sausage patties at several local units here. Altogether, this does not sound kosher, so to speak.

At the same time, Smithfield has instituted a number (hundreds) of sustainability projects in order to aid the environment and reduce costs and waste. These are listed on their company website.

...but they are not apparently Smithfield's.

Paula Deen and the Smithfield folks sponsored a pork products contest back in 2009 and I remember hearing about it. A Creole Corn Dog recipe won and it had to use one of the advertized Smithfield ingredients: bacon, the famous ham, fresh pork, lunchmeat, smoked sausage, or smoked pork chops. No hot dogs there! The winning recipe probably used the smoked sausage.

As for hot dogs, each year at the 4th QTR holidays, Smithfield donates food to the needy. In representing Smithfield and talking about the donations, I've heard Paula mention only "protein" and not secific products. This raises the red flag of dissembling and makes me think "meat scraps" and "hot dogs." I like hot dogs once in a while and meat scraps from the deli can make a good sandwich spread - I used to make it when I ran a slicer.

The Smithfield Foods company website has published pictures of Paula Deen a several volunteers loading and unloading Smithfield products for the Helping Hungry Homes 10-city Food Banks tour in the US to hand out food to these organizations. The packages all look like small hams (looks like 5-pounders) and large packs of smoked sausages (could be hot dogs, but I don't think so). They report 250,000 pounds of "protein" and 1 Million servings of meat. That matches, because each pound provides a standard 4, 4-oz portions. At the same time, the company website lists products sold under the brands Armour, Ekrich and others that include hot dogs. Perhaps Smithfield donates hot dogs and perhaps not. If anyone has that information, please post it in Comments below. Thanks! 

Smithfield also helps with School Nutrition, Disaster Relief, and families of Active Military Service People to ensure that more people receive enough nutrition. 

I must say that the Food Network seems to promote conspicous consumption in some of its shows, even some of the "frugal cooking" offerings. Throwing away large quantities of food after dinners and parties as some of the featured cooks advise is wasteful. Charging $12.99/pound for the same meat that you can purchase across the street at $4.99/pound is a racket to me. When these same, often well-loved, advice-givers appear after filming hiatus, having gone on a diet and losing 60 pounds when others in the US are starving, it makes one wonder just what IS a healthy portion size and price.

This brings me to the price of Smithfield products, as listed in the featured column above. None of of it seems to be as expensive as the $12.99/pound (or costlier) beef that has been urged on us by the TV. Each to his own budget.

The company is hiring for about 150 jobs total, largely in Tar Heel NC, Smithfield VA, Clinton NC, Wilson NC, and Landover MD. The most needed, high demand job titles include:

1. QA Techs - Quality Assurance
2. Food Safety Specialists
3. Engineering Management Trainees
4. Distribution Managers
5. Wastewater Operators
6. Electricians and Mechanics
7. Supervisors and Managers
8. Plant Engineers
9. Spotters - Monitors loading removing of loads from the packing house.
10. Planners

Smithfield is a major employer in several states and seems to be improving its public image by improving its public service and its company policies and actual practices.