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| Date of Report (Date of earliest      event reported): December 10, 2009 |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                     |
|                                                                     |
| SMITHFIELD      FOODS, INC.                                              |
|                                                                     |

|   | Virginia                                            |   | 1-15321                       |   | 52-0845861                                   |   |
|--------|-----------------------------------------------------|--------|-------------------------------|--------|----------------------------------------------|--------|
|   | (State or other jurisdiction of      incorporation) |   | (Commission File      Number) |   |  (IRS Employer Identification      No.) |   |

|   | 200 Commerce      StreetSmithfield, Virginia        |   | 23430                 |   |
|--------|-----------------------------------------------------|--------|-----------------------|--------|
|   |  (Address of principal      executive offices) |   |  (Zip      Code) |   |

| Registrant's telephone number,      including area code: (757)365-3000 |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|   | o | Written communications pursuant to      Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR  230.425) |
|--------|---|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|   | o | Soliciting material pursuant to      Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR    240.14a-12) |
|--------|---|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|   | o | Pre-commencement communications      pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR      240.14d-2(b)) |
|--------|---|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|   | o | Pre-commencement communications      pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR      240.13e-4(c)) |
|--------|---|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

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| (d) | Press      release, dated as of December 10, 2009, announcing the Registrant’s      results for the second quarter of fiscal 2010, which ended November      1, 2009. |
|-----|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

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|                         | SMITHFIELD FOODS,      INC.                               |
|------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|                         |                                                      |   |
|                         |                                                      |   |
|                         |                                                      |   |
| Date: December 10,      2009 | /s/ Robert W. Manly,      IV                              |   |
|                         | Robert W. Manly,      IV                                  |
|                         | Executive Vice President and Chief      Financial Officer |

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| Exhibit      99.1 | Press      release, dated as of December 10, 2009, announcing the Registrant’s      results for the second quarter of fiscal 2010, which ended November      1, 2009. |
|-------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

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