Smithfield Foods Addresses COVID-19 Response
Smithfield Foods responded to misinformation asserted by some media about the company’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic in a release on Friday. From why they are continuing to operate to the Sioux Falls outbreak, the company opened up about the hard decisions they have made during this crisis.
The following points were shared in Smithfield’s statement:
1. Operations
“We have continued to run our facilities for one reason: to sustain our nation’s food supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe it is our obligation to help feed the country, now more than ever. Operating is not a question of profits; it is a question of necessity,” the company wrote.
The pandemic has forced the entire industry with “an impossible choice: continue to operate to sustain our nation’s food supply or shutter in an attempt to entirely insulate our employees from risk.”
Although a choice no one wants to make, Smithfield said it is impossible to keep protein on tables across America if the nation’s meat plants are not running. Closures of meat plants can have severe repercussions up and down the supply chain.
“Farmers have nowhere to send their animals and could be forced to euthanize livestock, effectively burying food in the ground. We have a stark choice as a nation: we are either going to produce food or not, even in the face of COVID-19,” the company wrote.
2. Employee relations
In regard to assertions that Smithfield exploits its employees and is blaming community transmission and employees’ ethnic or national origin for COVID-19, the company said they have been an integral part of many communities across the country and provide opportunity for thousands, many of whom have come to our country in pursuit of the American Dream, to make a living and provide for their families.
“In Sioux Falls, for example, our base wage rates range from $15 to $29 per hour. Overtime wage rates are paid at one and one-half to two times base wage rates. During this pandemic, we’ve added “Responsibility Bonus” premiums to supplement these base rates by more than $3 per hour on average. Our employees are afforded full benefit packages, including medical, prescription, dental, vision, 401(k) plans, tuition assistance and more,” Smithfield wrote.
In addition, the workforce in Sioux Falls – and in many other localities – is unionized.
“Our employees are our strength. They come from all over the world and speak dozens of languages and dialects. Our position is this: We cannot fight this virus by finger-pointing. We all have a responsibility to slow the spread. At Smithfield, we are a family and we will navigate these truly challenging and unprecedented times together,” Smithfield wrote.
3. Responsibility bonus
Although some call it a bribe, Smithfield affirms that the company has no motivation to have sick team members reporting to work. Employees are encouraged – in multiple languages, verbally, in print and via an employee communication app – to not report to work if they are sick and assures employees they will be paid.
“Our nation’s food workers are fighting COVID-19 by embracing their responsibility to safeguard America’s food supply during these unprecedented times. As a company and a nation, we should reward those who accept responsibility,” the company said.
Smithfield has dedicated $120 million to providing responsibility bonuses to all production and distribution center team members. Employees who miss work due to COVID-19 will receive the bonus. In addition, the company said they have not furloughed or laid off a single employee, despite closing five of their 40 facilities.
4. Processes, protocols and protective measures
The company wrote that they are doing everything in their power to help protect team members from COVID-19 in the workplace. They have implemented an extensive array of COVID-19 protocols and practices.
“There are, however, inescapable realities about our industry. Meat processing facilities, which are characterized by labor intensive assembly line style production, are not designed for social distancing. Employees often work in close proximity on production lines. Similarly, space constraints exist in common areas such as cafeterias, break and locker rooms and bathrooms.”
The company’s COVID-19 processes and protocols follow CDC guidance. Until April 3, the CDC was instructing both individuals and companies – even those in critical infrastructure sectors like food and agriculture – to reserve all masks for healthcare workers and other medical first responders. Until that date, CDC guidance indicated that masks were not effective in protecting anyone from contracting the virus. Masks were recommended only for individuals diagnosed with the virus and/or dealing with the tell-tale symptoms.
“As soon as the CDC revised their guidance to recommend that those outside the healthcare industry wear face coverings, we immediately began implementing that guidance, as well as sourcing face shields,” Smithfield wrote.
Standard practice in the industry had never required all employees to wear masks, let alone face shields, the company wrote. Overnight, the need for masks and face shields was thrust upon the country.
“The suggestion that we were slow to react is simply not true and completely overlooks an inconvenient truth – supplies were not readily available,” Smithfield wrote. Masks and face shields continue to be in short supply as many companies and individuals are trying to acquire them.
5. The Sioux Falls outbreak
COVID-19 afflicts communities everywhere. The agriculture and food sectors have not been immune, Smithfield wrote. Numerous plants across the country have COVID-19 positive employees. Consistent and scientifically based testing protocols do not exist yet.
The first case of COVID-19 in the city of Sioux Falls was reported on March 15, the company explained in the statement. The first case in Smithfield’s facility was reported eight days later on March 23.
“Soon thereafter, every Smithfield employee (and later their dependents) were tested by our major healthcare provider in Sioux Falls if they presented any symptoms at all. We’re appreciative our employees had access to those tests. At the same time, others in the community were not being tested at the same rate. Non-Smithfield community members were tested only if they were deemed to be symptomatic and high risk, which yielded comparatively far fewer tests,” Smithfield wrote.
Without community-wide data, it is impossible to determine how the number of COVID-19 cases inside the company compare to the local community at large, the company wrote. South Dakota officials are on record offering their belief that community spread was already happening prior to the first case at Smithfield.
“The fact is, no one knows for sure where the spread was occurring and we’re grateful our employees were tested. This perspective is important and is lacking in many media reports. Sadly, attribution of the break-out to ‘Smithfield employees’ has only served to stigmatize them in the community. That’s wrong,” Smithfield wrote in the statement.
6. Internal communications
Smithfield affirmed that their COVID-19 communications have been robust and plentiful. In accordance with CDC guidelines, when an employee tests positive for COVID-19, all team members with whom they have worked in close proximity in the last 14 days are immediately notified, the company wrote.
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