Ready for rat meat? China takes over the US' biggest pork producer

[superunknown23]

Smithfield Foods, one of the country’s biggest pork producers, agreed on Wednesday to sell itself to one of China’s biggest meat processors for about $4.7 billion, a deal that would be the largest takeover to date of an American company by a Chinese one.

The deal, however, is likely to raise concerns over how the merged firm would address food safety issues.

Smithfield is a meat-producing empire whose operations extend from raising pigs to processing them into ham and pork products for an array of customers. Smithfield’s suitor, Shuanghui International, featured prominently in a scandal involving tainted Chinese pork two years ago.

The transaction will almost certainly face heightened scrutiny from American government regulators, including over issues of national security. Smithfield and Shuanghui plan to refer their transaction to a government panel that oversees foreign investments in the country.

Still, Smithfield has argued that the deal will be good for itself and the American farm industry by opening a broad path to selling more pork into a country with a growing appetite for meat.

“This transaction will allow us to access Asia in a big way,” C. Larry Pope, Smithfield’s chief executive, said in a telephone interview. “This is an export deal, and they are very interested in exporting products out of the U.S.”

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/smithfield-to-be-sold-to-shuanghui-group-of-china/

 

[Robbie3000]

the free market will take care of it

 

[DStyles]

Good thing I barely eat


Gotta say bye to my bacon egg and cheese though

 

[blackzeus]

Chinese eat more pork and chicken than black people both literally and figuratively. With that said, there should be a big resounding NO by the Obama administration to foreign companies buying up domestic food producers. You want pork, go on the website and place an order like everyone else.

 

[Bud Bundy]

yeah i am

we need to bring back door mice as food.

 

[FlyRy]

i feel bad for people who can't eat pork.

They're missing:
bacon
Sausage
Ham
ribs
hot dogs
Porkchops
etc

 

[Chris.B]

But they told China was communist

 

[Ashtrey]

Part cat part dog and the rest rat

 

[superunknown23]

Part cat part dog and the rest rat

 

[Patriarch]

Vegetarianism is the way to go, black people. Whites should continue to eat whatever.

 

[GetInTheTruck]

dudes better smarten up and dead that swine.

 

[newworldafro]

........ what is it??? ??

 

[Slaimon Khan Shah]

AVOID EATING PORK AT IT IS SINFULL TO EAT PORK UNLESS IN DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES.

 

[Freedman]

Just don't let them get to the chicken

 

[RadaMillz]

Just the thought of pork meat is vomit inducing....