Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Coronavirus Might Lead to a Meat Shortage Next | Eater

"An indefinitely closed pork-processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was shut down after COVID-19 outbreaks among workers, underscoring how illness at frontline food facilities can sharply disrupt production and distribution. Company leadership warned the closure puts the broader meat supply at serious risk, creating unpredictable availability of pork and contributing to potential shortages of poultry and beef, while also highlighting worker-safety concerns. The shutdown is symptomatic of wider supply-chain strain in which perishable goods are being destroyed because commercial channels like restaurants and schools have collapsed and logistics prevent quick rerouting to grocery stores, producing the cruel juxtaposition of empty retail shelves and excess food being dumped." - Jenny G. Zhang