About Us

Hometown roots. Global reach. 

Smithfield Foods is committed to helping feed a world of nearly 8 billion people. We are working harder than ever to provide families with nutritious, delicious and affordable food with outstanding quality and value. We also are working hard to find innovative ways to accomplish that — through new products and processes, while being ever mindful of the impact our operations have on our planet. It’s our responsibility...and our promise. We're made in the U.S.A. and found on tables everywhere.

Our Leadership Team

Our company is guided and supported by one of the most experienced management teams in the business. Their combined vision has made us one of the world’s leading consumer packaged meats companies and one that creates value for a broad range of stakeholders.

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Our Values

We tirelessly pursue sustainable improvements across our entire operation, and our values underpin everything we do. “Good food. Responsibly.®” is more than something we say – it's how we approach our work – and it's what we carry out through our mission, vision, and social purpose.
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Our Mission

We are passionate about producing good food the right way with respect for our people, animals, communities and planet.

Our Vision

With our culture of responsibility, operational excellence and innovation, we will be a trusted food and protein company as we sustainably feed people around the world.

Our Social Purpose

We are committed to improving food security and ending hunger by donating high-quality, nutritious food. We also support philanthropic solutions in the fight against hunger as well as areas of education, veterans, and those that align with the sustainability program.

Our Principles

Our business decisions are guided by our principles. Everything we do, every action we take, starts with these.
Responsibility

We accept responsibility in everything we do. We do business the right way by treating employees well, treating our animals with respect, and leading in sustainability. We have an awesome responsibility for food safety. Together, we will deliver on the promise of “Good food. Responsibly.®”

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Operational Excellence

Our pursuit of operational excellence is unrelenting. We tirelessly seek out opportunities to improve the way we do business in such areas as customer service, on-time delivery, product quality, and product consistency.

Innovation

Innovation is part of our DNA. We seek fresh ideas in all aspects of business, including ways to work smarter, serve customers better, and make Smithfield a better company.

Benefitting from Vertical Integration

As the largest pork processor in the world, Smithfield is uniquely positioned to deliver differentiated products to meet customer specifications—both domestically and abroad. Vertical integration is a key point of difference for our products and brands, allowing us to drive changes through the supply chain.


Our vertically integrated platform assures the supply of consistent, high-quality, and traceable raw material. It also has enabled us to lead the industry in areas such as our sow group housing and the production of ractopamine-free pork, which is important for export markets.

Our History

Our Hometown Roots

Our company traces its history back to 1936, when Joseph W. Luter Sr. and his son, Joseph W. Luter Jr., opened the Smithfield Packing Company in Smithfield, Virginia.

A family business

They built the Smithfield Packing Company plant in 1946 on Highway 10. By 1959, their workforce had grown to 650.

Generation to generation

Joseph W. Luter Jr. was Smithfield's CEO until his death in 1962. His son, Joseph W. Luter III joined Smithfield that year and by 1966 was chairman and CEO. In 1969 he sold Smithfield to Liberty Equities.

The legacy continues

Luter III was CEO 1975-2006 and chairman until the company was sold to WH Group in 2013. His son, Joseph W. Luter IV, became an executive VP of Smithfield Foods in 2008 and president of Smithfield Packing Company.

Main St. presence

In 2012 the company opened a restaurant, Taste of Smithfield, in Smithfield, Virginia, in the same Main Street building as its retail store, The Genuine Smithfield Ham Shoppe.

Global growth

In 2016, Smithfield had 50,200 employees in the US, Mexico and Europe.

A culinary force

In early 2019, Smithfield re-branded its food-service business, Smithfield Farmland, as Smithfield Culinary, with a chef-led advisory board.

Impactful packaging improvements

In 2009, a smaller packaging for the Armour-Eckrich brand smoked sausages reduced the plastic film and corrugated cardboard usage by over 840,000 pounds per year.

Reducing plastic packaging

In 2010 Smithfield facilities and brands reduced plastic use by 40,600 pounds a year, used 17% less plastic, and eliminated 20,000 pounds of corrugated material.

A commitment to sustainability

In 2010, Dennis Treacy, the company’s first chief sustainability officer, formalized the company’s sustainability practices under six pillars.

Our food offerings expand

In 2017, Smithfield introduced Pure Farms brand, offering food free of antibiotics, artificial ingredients, hormones, and steroids as well as plant-powered protein food products.

Innovating for the future

In 2020, Smithfield Foods became the first major protein company to commit to becoming carbon negative in all company-owned, US operations by 2030.

Helping Our Heroes

In 2020, the company also launched Helping Our Heroes, a new initiative developed to support American veterans in the workplace. 

Expanding our sustainability promise

In 2021, Smithfield broadened its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction commitment to 30% by 2030 across its entire U.S. value chain; with a new goal to obtain 50% of its electricity from renewable sources over the same time period. 

New commitments to sustainability

New commitments launched in the 2020 Sustainability Impact Report including an expanded sustainability platform with three new pillars in diversity, equity and inclusion; health and wellness; and worker health and safety.

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