When Farmland Industries sold all of its shares in 200204, it was the largest agricultural cooperative in North America. Farmland has served its farmer members for 74 years as a diverse and comprehensive organization, playing a vital role in local and international agricultural markets.
Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest hog producer and processor, now owns the Farmland brand and the slogan “Good Food From the Heartland,” while Farmland Foods, Inc. operates independently and continues to sell meat products under the “Farmland” brand. Farmland Foods has annual revenues of more than $3.5 billion and serves both domestic and foreign markets.
Who are the buyers of Farmland Foods
Farmland Foods has agreed to be acquired by Smithfield Foods for $363.5 million in cash, subject to completion of a tender process.
Farmland and other parties involved in the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding chose to accept Smithfield’s offer as the most valuable.
The bankruptcy auction will run until September 15. “If there are no other bids, Smithfield could close the Farmland transaction in about 15 days or around October 1,” said Jerry Hostetter, vice president of investor relations and corporate communications at Smithfield Foods.
Smithfield will honor all Farmland Foods hog production commitments. There are 234 contract hog producers in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. About 60% of Farmland’s hogs are purchased under producer contracts.
Under the agreement, all farmland production plants must also remain open and operate at current production levels. Farmland operates three slaughter plants in Crete, Nebraska, Denison, Iowa, and Monmouth, Illinois, killing 7.5 million hogs annually, as well as six pork processing operations.
Farmland Foods will continue to operate as an independent company, led by its existing management team.
“Farmland has a great management team, efficient factories and a great brand name,” Hostetter said. “Through them, we will be able to sell more processed beef products and we will be able to strengthen distribution through each other’s network.”
Is farmland the same as bacon
Our bacon stands out from the crowd because it’s hand picked and slowly smoked. It has a rich, authentic flavor that any bacon lover will want to take home. Convenience has never tasted better. If you want a quick and tasty slice, Farmland’s fully cooked bacon can be perfect in seconds.
Is Smithfield Bacon Produced in China
Whether you eat bacon for breakfast or pork chops for evening, you can be confident that your pork is coming from your own backyard.
North Carolina is one of the top pork producers in the U.S., and most of the meat remains in the state. No matter what brand you choose, you can rest assured that the USDA will not allow any pork or pork products from my country to enter our country.
However, due to fraud allegations on social media, some concerns have been raised about Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, which is owned by a Hong Kong-based public company.
“Smithfield has not imported anything from China into the U.S. and will not import it in the future.” Smithfield does not use animals grown, processed or packaged in China. According to Smithfield Foods’ website, “All of our U.S. products are made at one of our approximately 50 facilities located throughout the United States.”
Seven of these plants are located in North Carolina, including the world’s largest pork processing plant, the Tar Heel plant in Braden County and the world’s largest bacon plant in Wilson.
Smithfield uses pigs from farms in North Carolina and elsewhere to produce the ham, chops, pork chops, tenderloin, butt, sausage and bacon we all love. These farm-fresh products are delivered to grocery stores and restaurants in North Carolina and across the United States for people to enjoy. The excess pork and parts of pigs that we don’t eat are shipped all over the world. It’s a win-win situation for everyone, helping the state’s pork industry generate $10 billion a year.
Smithfield employs approximately 10,000 North Carolinians in its farm and processing operations.
The Warren family has been raising pigs in Sampson County for over 20 years and is one of many family farms contracted with Smithfield. Smithfield bought out their contract with Premium Standards Foods in 2007 and stayed with the company after being acquired by the WH Group in 2013.
People in North Carolina can shop at the grocery store with confidence knowing that this pig was likely produced and processed in our state. It doesn’t get more local sources than this.
North Carolina is proud of its thriving pork industry, which employs more than 44,000 people and generates more than $10 billion in annual revenue. We raise pigs here in the U.S., producing safe, nutrient-dense pork products that nourish millions of people.
Is Hormel from China
Hormel Foods now operates in China through its wholly-owned subsidiary Hormel (China) Investment Co., Ltd., located in Jiaxing, China. The company is now one of the largest suppliers of Chinese and Western-style processed meat and peanut butter to retail and foodservice establishments in China.
Is China the master of Smithfield pork
Smithfield Foods, founded in Smithfield, Virginia, in 1936, employs more than 40,000 people and operates approximately 50 factories in the United States. Smithfield was acquired by WH Group (formerly Shuanghui International Holdings) for $4.7 billion in 2013, making it the largest acquisition of a U.S. company by a Chinese company at the time. A year later, WH Group was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and in 2017 expanded its U.S. operations by acquiring California’s largest pork processor, Clougherty Packing.
Is China the owner of the farmland brand
Introduced June 2, 2013: Bacon, sausage and ham are staples of the American diet, and it’s hard to believe that 87-year-old Virginia-based meat giant Smithfield Ham will soon be Chinese-owned.
Shuanghai International Holdings, the majority owner of Henan Shuanghui Investment Development Co., China’s largest meat processor, will now be the parent company for brands including Armour, Farmland and Healthy Ones, thanks to a recent $4.7 billion cash deal.
Is Smithfield owned by China
Smithfield Foods was founded in Virginia in 1936 and its swine products are ubiquitous in U.S. stores, but the company was acquired by WH Group (formerly Shuanghui International) in 2013 for $4.7 billion.
Smithfield became a subsidiary of a publicly traded Chinese company after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) determined the acquisition would not jeopardize national security.
The Chinese government’s substantial involvement, if not direct control, over the country’s companies has been criticized by critics of the deal.
Is Farmland Bacon Nitrate Free
Nitrite has long been a controversial food additive, with studies showing that when heated in the presence of proteins, such as those found in bacon, it produces cancer-causing chemicals called nitrosamines. Regular bacon is preserved with nitrite (NO2) or nitrate (NO3), two chemically similar preservatives, although only nitrite can produce potentially dangerous nitrosamines. On the other hand, “nitrate-free or nitrite-free” bacon is cured with salt, bacterial lactic starter, and celery juice (also known as “natural flavor”).
But there’s a catch: Celery juice contains high amounts of organic nitrates, which are converted into harmful nitrites by bacteria and saliva in the starter culture when chewed. Still, the “no nitrates or nitrites added” label is technically correct, as these compounds are created during the manufacturing process and not added as ingredients. The question is, how much nitrite and nitrate are in uncured bacon compared to cured bacon?
When we cooked our favorite store bacon slices, tasters found that Farmland Hickory Smoked and Farmland All-Natural Uncured Bacon (“no added nitrates or nitrites”) were nearly identical in taste and texture. We send three packs of each bacon to the lab for testing to determine nitrite and nitrate levels. We’ve also included three packs of Applegate Farms Uncured Sunday Bacon (labeled “No Added Nitrite”), a Best Buy in our handmade bacon test. As expected, all bacon contains nitrites and nitrates, with nitrite levels fully compliant with USDA standards of no more than 120 parts per million (ppm). However, uncured bacon has higher nitrite levels than cured bacon: farmland pecan-smoked bacon has an average of 9.7 ppm nitrite (and 48 ppm nitrate), compared to the nitrite content of its all-natural counterpart The average was 16.3 ppm (and 10.3 ppm nitrate). Applegate Farms Uncured Sunday Bacon had more than three times as much nitrite as regular bacon: 35 ppm (almost the same at 44.3 ppm nitrate).
Bottom line: All bacon, whether added at the beginning or naturally occurring during processing, may contain nitrites and nitrates. If you want to avoid these substances, you must avoid all bacon and any other processed meats that contain celery juice.
What’s the best way to prepare farmland bacon
Preheat oven to 350F and place bacon in a shallow baking pan in a single layer. Preheat oven to 375F and bake for 12 to 17 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Microwave: In a microwave-safe plate, arrange the slices in a single layer between paper towels. Microwave each slice at HIGH (100% power) for 55 to 65 seconds.
