We knew the very large meat producer Shuanghui International, which announced on Wednesday it would buy the even bigger Smithfield Foods for $5 billion dollars, was at the center of a nasty clenbuterol-tainted meat scandal in 2011. But apparently that’s not all: Several reports, including one from a woman who opened a package of sausages last year and found a bunch of maggots, are slowly bringing the company’s sketchy food safety into sharp focus. Another incident from 2012 involved cumin sausages and “excessive” bacteria, and while Shuanghui isn’t talking about any of these alleged incidents, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro is. The Connecticut lawmaker focused previously on food-safety legislation and has released a statement on the pending deal. “I have deep doubts about whether this merger best serves American consumers,” it warns, in part, “and urge federal regulators to put their concerns first.” [CNN, Earlier]
