Smithfield Foods closes the only smokehouse making genuine Smithfield ham
The salty, long-cured ham has been an area staple since the English colonists and their hogs arrived at nearby Jamestown in the early 1600s. There is a whole section of Virginia State Code — Title 3.2, Chapter 54, Article 4 — entitled “Smithfield Hams.” Just as the French define Champagne and the European Union protects Greek Feta cheese, Virginia law dictates that genuine Smithfield ham is cured in Smithfield.
The company has said little about its plans since the Smithfield Times newspaper broke the story about the smokehouse last month. A Smithfield Foods spokeswoman said that the smokehouse had reached the end of its useful life and that the company has plenty of genuine Smithfield hams stockpiled to satisfy immediate demand.
“We’re currently meeting about the future of the smokehouse and I don’t have many details to share at this point. Should know more in the coming weeks,” spokeswoman Diana Souder said via email.
The smokehouse is said to be more than 50 years old, but whether the company will build a new one, seek a change in state law or simply abandon the “genuine Smithfield” moniker is a matter of local speculation. The huge meatpacking plants on the edge of town slaughter more than 10,000 hogs per day.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/a-sad-day-in-hamtown-smithfield-foods-closes-the-only-smokehouse-making-genuine-smithfield-ham/2018/07/21/dafd57f2-8b7b-11e8-8aea-86e88ae760d8_story.html?utm_term=.cd519c6c123f
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