Deals
Making Sausages Safer for China Key to Smithfield Takeover
This article is for subscribers only.
Wan Long, who helped turn a single hog-processing plant into China’s largest producer, explains the reasons for his $4.7 billion swoop on Smithfield Food Inc. as he adjusts six miniature porcelain pigs on his desk.
The 72-year-old chairman of Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd., who last week won Smithfield’s acceptance for what would be the largest Chinese acquisition of a U.S. company, is not just reordering the pink and blue swines in front of him. He’s seeking to tap foreign expertise and technology to help reshape food safety and production in China’s pork industry.