Kenneth Sullivan, CEO of Smithfield Foods, is warning Americans of footage shortages could happen amid the meat processing plant’s abrupt, indefinite closure.
Sullivan released a statement on Tuesday with details about the plant closure. The Sioux Falls, S.D. meat processing plant announced its closure after an outbreak led to more than 230 workers testing positive for the coronavirus.
Producing more than 5% of the nation’s meat, the Smithfield Foods meat processing plant is considered the largest in the world. With the latest indefinite closure, Sullivan is also noting the possibility of a food supply shortage in the very near future.
“The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply,” Sullivan said, according to The New York Times.
The plant’s closure comes just days after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) was notified of the plant’s positive cases. Despite her continued refusal to enforce a stay-at-home order, Noem has expressed concern about the Smithfield outbreak noting the number of cases within the plant account for more than half of the cases in the entire state.
About Smithfield… pic.twitter.com/wz1pJbzfWN
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) April 14, 2020
Smithfield’s outbreak signals the possibility of another problem many other food processing plants could face in the very near future due to the coronavirus.
According to the publication, employees work in very close proximity —often “shoulder to shoulder” — which increases the likelihood of a spread. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) social distancing guidelines, it is recommended that individuals stay six feet apart and avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.
In processing plants, there are often thousands of workers in one location which could potentially lead to an infected worker —symptomatic or asymptomatic— passing the virus on to others.
The Smithfield closure comes less than two weeks after the closings of JBS USA and Cargill in Pennsylvania. Tyson also announced it would be halting operations at its Iowa plant after workers tested positive for coronavirus.
