Smithfield pork plant latest to close amid coronavirus, raising more concerns about U.S. food supply

'Impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running,' Smithfield president

Smithfield Foods has closed a pork-processing plant in South Dakota, after hundreds of employees tested positive for the coronavirus, raising concerns about the county’s food supply. The Virginia-based company made the announcement Sunday about its Sioux Falls plant – after the mayor and GOP Gov. Kristi Noem urged Smithfield to close the plant for 14 days, according to the Associated Press.

The Sioux Falls plant is one of the largest pork processing plants in the country. The Agriculture Department says it has yet to find evidence that the virus can be transmitted through food. But the closure of the Smithfield plant and other similar ones – including a Tyson Foods facility in Iowa – is raising concerns about the U.S. food supply as workers continue to test positive for the virus. “The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply,” Smithfield president and CEO Kenneth Sullivan said in a statement, according to the wire service. “It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running. These facility closures will also have severe, perhaps disastrous, repercussions for many in the supply chain, first and foremost our nation’s livestock farmers.”

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/health/smithfield-pork-plant-latest-close-amid-coronavirus-raising-more-concerns

Amazon to hire 75,000 more workers as demand rises due to coronavirus

Amazon is hiring 75,000 additional workers after it filled more than 100,000 positions in the last month. The company has added more warehouse and delivery workers across the country to help meet a surge in demand tied to the coronavirus outbreak. Amazon is hiring an additional 75,000 workers at its facilities, on top of the 100,000 new positions it created last month, the company said Monday.

In March, the company said it would hire additional warehouse and delivery workers across the country amid a surge in online shopping during the coronavirus outbreak. Since then, Amazon said it has hired more than 100,000 new employees and, as a result, is staffing up even more to help fulfill orders. “We continue to see increased demand as our teams support their communities, and are going to continue to hire, creating an additional 75,000 jobs to help serve customers during this unprecedented time,” the company said.

As it continues to hire more workers, Amazon has also raised employees’ hourly pay and doubled overtime pay for warehouse workers. Through the end of April, warehouse and delivery workers can earn an additional $2 per hour in the U.S., 2 pounds per hour in the U.K., and approximately 2 euros per hour in many EU countries. Amazon currently pays $15 per hour or more in some areas of the U.S. for warehouse and delivery jobs. Amazon has announced several benefits changes on top of the pay increases. The company has allowed workers to take unlimited unpaid time off and provides two weeks of paid leave for workers who tested positive for the virus or are in quarantine.

Amazon said it expects to continue investing in pay increases, benefits and safety improvements for warehouse and delivery workers. The company previously expected to spend $350 million on pay increases, but now estimates it will spend more than $500 million on those efforts. Despite the pay increases and benefits changes, Amazon workers from at least three facilities have staged protests to call for the company to better protect workers amid the coronavirus outbreak. A dozen workers told CNBC they felt Amazon needed to provide employees with paid time off, among other concerns. The company has faced increased demand from customers on multiple fronts amid the coronavirus outbreak.

With shoppers stocking up online, services such as Prime Now and the Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service reported limited availability for several days or told shoppers they were unable to make deliveries. On Sunday, Amazon said it would require new grocery delivery customers to join a waitlist and shorten some Whole Foods stores’ hours for the public so that employees can more quickly fulfill online orders. Meanwhile, Amazon has struggled to keep products in stock on its online marketplace. Last month, Amazon said it would begin prioritizing household staples and medical supplies at its fulfillment centers.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/13/amazon-hiring-75000-more-workers-as-demand-rises-due-to-coronavirus.html

>>8779438

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K/A

(Amendment No. 1)

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the twelve months ended : January 3, 2016

Commission file number: 1-15321

SMITHFIELD FOODS, INC.

https://smithfieldfoods.gcs-web.com/node/13081/html

>>8779438 >>8779546

Evaluating the Sale of Smithfield Foods to China

May 30, 2013

https://www.smithfieldfoods.com/press-room/company-news/smithfield-foods-inc-reorganizes-board-of-directors-and-increases-stock-repurchase-authorization

>>8779632 >>8779438 >>8779546

Moar Smithfield Foods

Smithfield Foods Donation Helps Fund the Development of Life-saving Technology

RICHMOND, Va., March 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – The Smithfield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Smithfield Foods, Inc., is pleased to announce a $75,000 challenge grant to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to fund a proof of concept phase for UNOS’ Timely Donor Referralsm technology pilot. Smithfield will match dollar-for-dollar all donations made to UNOS for the program, up to $75,000.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/03/21/1443651/0/en/Smithfield-Foods-Donation-Helps-Fund-the-Development-of-Life-saving-Technology.html

>>8779796

Thinking long pork…