Smithfield Foods - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Smithfield Foods is Medium Risk.

Smithfield Foods is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Smithfield Foods occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	Lower Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Smithfield Foods integrates ESG into its business practices. From its 2024 Sustainability Report, the company screens new suppliers based on environmental and social criteria (1). However, the company has not canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (2).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Smithfield Foods does not discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs. However, it will only give to religious organizations that provide non-sectarian services (1)(2).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

In June 2024, America First Legal filed a letter with the EEOC requesting a civil rights investigation into Smithfield Foods over discriminatory practices in promotion and hiring (1)(2). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Smithfield Foods signed onto the Business Ambition or 1.5°C campaign, which is “designed to drive climate action in the private sector to reach net-zero global emissions by 2050” (1). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2024 Sustainability Report: “we operate under policies and

procedures applicable across our global operations that promote… inclusion, belonging and diversity ” (2). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2021 Sustainability Report: “The new way we organize and communicate our pillars — “Good Stewards, Good Food, Good Work”— helps define our ESG platform and reflects the way ESG will continue to be integrated and ingrained in our culture well into the future” (3).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Smithfield Foods has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Smithfield Foods has not used its PAC donations for ideological purposes and does not report on its lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).