Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill, & Smithfield Foods exported massive amounts of pork and other meats to China while threatening the American public with impending shortages

United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) are opening an investigation of Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill and Smithfield Foods after reports that the meatpacking companies, while threatening the American public with impending meat shortages and jacking up prices, exported a record amount of product to China. The companies used the COVID-19 pandemic — and warning of shortages — as cover while they endangered workers, dramatically increased prices for American consumers, and successfully lobbied the President to sign an executive order designating their plants as critical infrastructure and allowing them to continue operating in an unsafe fashion.

“These actions raise questions about the circumstances of the President’s executive order, your honesty with the American public about the reasons for higher food prices, and your commitment to providing a safe, affordable, and abundant food supply for the nation,” wrote the senators in their letter.