SMITHFIELD, Va., March 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer, and Robert W. Manly, executive vice president and chief financial officer, of Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NYSE:SFD), will make a presentation at the J.P. Morgan Global Protein Conference at 12:15 PM ET on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at the J.P. Morgan Conference Center in New York, New York. The presentation will be webcast at http://investors.smithfieldfoods.com/events.cfm and will be archived at this location.

About Smithfield Foods

Smithfield Foods is a $13 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Farmland®, Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Armour® and John Morrell®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental, and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com and www.smithfieldcommitments.com.

The Smithfield Foods, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7622

CONTACT: Keira Lombardo
         Smithfield Foods, Inc.
         (757) 365-3050
         keiralombardo@smithfieldfoods.com