The Smithfield Packing Company sells meat products such as

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

ground pork Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, inclu ...

pork chops A pork chop, like other meat chops, is a loin cut taken perpendicular to the spine of the pig and is usually a rib or part of a vertebra. Pork chops are unprocessed and leaner than other cuts. Chops are commonly served as an individual port ...

bacon Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...

, and

lunch meat Lunch meats—also known as cold cuts, luncheon meats, cooked meats, sliced meats, cold meats, sandwich meats, delicatessens, and deli meats—are precooked or cured meats that are sliced and served cold or hot. They are typically served in ...

. It sells its products worldwide. The company was founded in 1936. It is based in

Smithfield, Virginia Smithfield is a town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, United States. The population was 8,533 at the 2020 census. The town is most famous for the curing and production of ...

. It is part of

Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods, Inc., is an American pork producer and food-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia. Founded in 1936 as the Smithfield Packing Company by Joseph W. Luter and his son, the company is the largest pig and pork producer in ...

which is in turn a subsidiary of WH Group.

History

The firm was founded on September 16, 1936, in

and was originally known as the Luter Packing Company. Joe Luter and his son Joe Luter II, both experienced meatpackers, founded the firm together. The senior Luter was born in Ivor town in

Southampton County, Virginia Southampton County is a county located on the southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. North Carolina is to the south. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 17,996. Its county seat is Courtland. History In the earl ...

in 1879. Joe Luter's grandson, Joe Luter III, would go on to lead the company decades later. Smithfield, Virginia was known for its pork products as early as the 18th Century. Isle of Wight bacon and

Smithfield ham Smithfield ham is a specific form of country ham finish- cured in the town of Smithfield in Isle of Wight County in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, U.S. History The first record of the commercial sale of cured "Smithfield Ham" is a receip ...

were its most famous products. In 1926, a law was passed, making it illegal to refer to any pork not processed within Smithfield's boundaries as "Smithfield ham." Luter and his son started curing Smithfield hams and selling them to small stores located nearby. Smithfield Packing opened a large facility in

Tar Heel, North Carolina Tar Heel is a town located in Bladen County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 90 at the 2020 census. Tar Heel is home to the largest pig processing plant in the world, which opened in 1992, operated by Smithfield Foods and is ...

in 1992. The company offered thousands of workers in impoverished Bladen County hourly pay double the federal minimum wage. As of 2018, the size of the Tar Heel plant had about 973,000 square feet in floor area. As of early 2020, Smithfield Packing had made more than $130,000,000 in recent investments in Bladen County. As of 2012, Smithfield Packing employed about 12,500 people and had sales of about $4 billion. In November 2012, Smithfield Packing began the process of shutting down a plant in

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. It lies across the Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth River from Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

that made

hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...

s and deli meats and moving it to

Kinston, North Carolina Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 19,900 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is located in the ...

. This closure affected about 425 workers. Transfers to other plants were offered to some workers. The company negotiated with the plant's union regarding the terms of any chances for further employment. The company provided proper notice under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and referred affected workers to state agencies for assistance. The Portsmouth plant was designed and built in the 1970s and could not be adapted to the needs of the modern

meat-packing industry The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally n ...

. In March 2013, Smithfield Packing announced the closure of a bone-in ham plant located in

Landover, Maryland Landover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 25,998. Landover is contained between Sheriff Road and Central Avenue to the ...

. The company said it would attempt to employ the affected workers at other sites.

References

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External links

Smithfield Foods corporate website
Smithfield Packing Company Smithfield Packing Company Smithfield Packing Company Smithfield Packing Company Smithfield Foods brands Companies based in Virginia 1936 establishments in Virginia

History

See also

References

External links