The Popular American Food Company You Didn't Know Had Chinese Owners

The United States hosts some of the biggest names in food manufacturing, not only meeting the demands of local markets but also supplying various products to countries abroad. Still, not all food companies operating in the U.S. are actually American-owned. Corporations like Tyson Foods and J.R. Simplot (which you can thank for helping supply potatoes to Chick-fil-A for the restaurant's waffle fries) are 100% American-owned and operated. Yet, another heavy hitter in the industry, Smithfield Foods (which went public on the Nasdaq Global Select Market in January 2025), is in fact controlled by Chinese company WH Group. 

Smithfield had a significant presence in the U.S. market for decades, but after it was purchased by WH Group in 2013, the Chinese enterprise strengthened its dominance over the industry as the largest pork supplier in the world. However, the story of Smithfield is a bit more complicated. Founded in Virginia in 1936, it makes a considerable contribution to WH Group's revenue, yet the company still embraces its American roots.

A Chinese company may own Smithfield, but it still operates primarily out of the United States. Its workforce consists of roughly 34,000 U.S. employees, many of whom work in Midwestern states like Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. From hog farming to packaging processed meat, the thousands of people laboring at Smithfield work hard to get food on the plates of U.S. residents via multiple labels.

The business supplies grocery stores with pork products sold under brands such as Armour, Farmland, Eckrich, and more. When you see Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest on the Fourth of July, you are witnessing folks scarfing down Smithfield pork. The company is also the supplier of much of Costco's Kirkland Signature bacon.

As Smithfield conducts its business in the United States, it is committed to assisting local communities. The company's Helping Hungry Homes program has been tackling food insecurity in every state in the country for years. Since its inception in 2008, it has helped feed millions of folks in need, working alongside disaster relief organizations and food banks to curtail hunger in America. Smithfield also partners with Military Missions in Action, an institution that helps house struggling veterans. The Chinese-owned WH Group holds the reins of Smithfield Foods, but the company still operates as an American business at its core.