Controversies

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• The advocacy group claims these actions created unsafe health and safety conditions for meatpacking workers that have led to thousands of Smithfield workers contracting the virus and dozens of deaths.

• Consumer advocacy group Food and Water Watch filed a lawsuit last week accusing Smithfield Foods, the nation’s largest pork producer, of falsely stoking consumer fears of meat shortages during the pandemic to keep their operations running at full capacity.

• Multiple employees at a Smithfield Foods, Inc. pork processing plant, led by Jessica Smith, filed a collective action lawsuit on Tuesday in the Eastern District of Virginia alleging that the company did not pay its non-exempt employees for overtime work and participation in required activities to prepare for work in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Company response

• Denial — Smithfield Foods

  Smithfield's spokesman James Monroe called the allegations "baseless."

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• After investigating the situation, OSHA said that Smithfield had not done enough after finding the first cases in late March to curb the spread of the virus. There were no physical barriers or mask requirements at the time. OSHA also said workers were not spaced out appropriately.

• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Monday they had reached a settlement with Smithfield Foods over a citation regarding the company's COVID-19 safety measures after a massive outbreak last year, according to the Associated Press.

• Under their agreement, Smithfield must pay a $13,500 fine and develop a plan to prevent the spread of infectious disease at their meatpacking plants nationwide.

Company response

• Remediation — Smithfield

  In the settlement with the agency, Smithfield promised to continue using its current COVID-19 Preparedness and Response plan, and work with company and third-party experts to assess its plants' operating procedures and develop and infectious disease preparedness plan.

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• Pork processing giant Smithfield has agreed to pay a $13,494 fine and make changes to its health and safety plans, as part of a settlement with federal safety officials over the COVID-19 outbreak at the company's Sioux Falls plant in March 2020 that killed four workers and sickened nearly 1,300.

Company response

• Denial — Smithfield

  Keira Lombardo, executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance at Smithfield, denied the allegations

• Denial — Smithfield Foods

  Keira Lombardo, executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance at Smithfield, denied the allegations

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• The lawsuit filed Thursday in Missouri federal court claims Smithfield has created a "public nuisance" by providing inadequate protective equipment to workers at the plant in the town of Milan, refusing to give them time to wash their hands and discouraging workers who are ill from taking sick leave.

• Keira Lombardo, executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance at Smithfield, denied the allegations and said "the health and safety of our employees is our top priority at all times."

• Keira Lombardo, executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance at Smithfield, denied the allegations

Company response

• Denial — Smithfield Foods

  The OSHA fine is "wholly without merit" and Smithfield Foods will contest it, said Keira Lombardo, the Virginia-based company's executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance.

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• OSHA cited the company for one violation of failing to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that can cause death or serious harm.

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• According to the DENR, between February 1, 2019, and July 31, 2019, Smithfield reported violations of its permit limits for total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, ammonia, fecal coliform, and toxicity test.

• The South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has fined Smithfield Foods $46,260 for surface water discharge permit violations.