The food industry is abuzz with the news that Chinese food giant Shuanghui International has announced its intent to purchase Smithfield Foods, America’s largest pork producer. Because Shuanghui was involved in a food-safety scandal in China two years ago, some groups oppose the purchase, concerned that Shuanghui’s acquisition of Smithfield will lead to unsafe food products being imported from China, or will lead to a degradation of food-safety standards at Smithfield’s domestic facilities, due to new Chinese ownership.
Rick Quinn, a Principal at FDAImports.com, an international FDA consulting firm dealing extensively with the safety of imported foods, discussed the issues yesterday with The Huffington Post and CNBC. Mr. Quinn pointed out that Shuanghui purchased Smithfield specifically to bolster its own quality profile in the Chinese market, and primarily to utilize the supply-chain strength and scale of Smithfield to support Chinese demand for high-quality pork products.
The discussion will certainly continue – be on the lookout for more from FDAImports.com in the days to come.
