South Dakota pork plant closure will reduce nation’s meat supply, impact entire supply chain | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › South Dakota pork plant closure will reduce nation’s meat supply, impact entire supply chain South Dakota pork plant closure will reduce nation’s meat supply, impact entire supply chain Published: April 13, 2020 Author: Shannon Roddel Pork Chop Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, one of the country’s largest pork producers, announced Sunday, April 12 that it is closing its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls until further notice after some 300 employees tested positive for the coronavirus. Krista Foster The move could not only hurt the nation’s meat supply, it will impact every tier of the supply chain, according to Krista Foster, who teaches supply chain management at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.  "Just as we have seen the effects of coronavirus within other industries, these plant closures will disrupt the entire pork supply chain—from the livestock farmers to the consumers who purchase pork products,” Foster said. Smithfield President and CEO Kenneth Sullivan said, “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.” “Meat products are perishable and because they require cold storage, there's also limited storage capacity,” Foster explained, “making it difficult to carry a large amount of inventory. Once the existing inventory is used up, consumers can expect to see smaller quantities of pork products in stores due to processing plant closures. “In this case, the inputs into the process are also perishable, and farmers will be left with livestock that they won't be able to move down the supply chain,” she noted. “With production halted, every tier of the supply chain will be impacted."   Contact: Krista Foster, 330-502-7185,  kfoster2@nd.edu Posted In: Faculty and Staff Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 04, 2022 NIH awards $4 million grant to psychologists researching suicide prevention September 09, 2022 Karrie Koesel to testify before Congressional-Executive Commission on China August 18, 2022 Two faculty win NEH grants to research history of red hair, philosophy of revelation August 16, 2022 NSF names Center for Computer-Assisted Synthesis a Phase II Center for Chemical Innovation August 15, 2022 Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., on Russian atrocities against clergy in Ukraine For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn