Smithfield Foods Says “Living Circumstances in Certain Cultures” Are To Blame For Mass Coronavirus Spread at Their Facility

Smithfield Foods is the largest pork producer in the country, and it was forced to close this month after hundreds of coronavirus cases were confirmed at their plant in South Dakota.

A spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that “it’s hard to know what could have been done differently” at the plant where 725 employees have tested positive for the virus.

“Living circumstances in certain cultures are different than they are with your traditional American family,” the spokesperson said, due to the facility’s “large immigrant population.”

The plant was shut down just two days before employee Augustin Rodriguez, 64, died of complications of the virus.

Despite Smithfield blaming workers’ “cultures,” employees tell BuzzFeed that the company did not take necessary precautions in stopping the spread of disease at the workplace.