September 12, 2013
CFIUS Ends Investigation of Smithfield Pork Acquisition
Last week, CFIUS closed its investigation into the acquisition of Smithfield Foods by Shuanghui International Holdings. The Smithfield filing was evidence of the potentially broad reach of national security review to areas – such as agriculture and food production – that historically might not have been viewed as raising national security concerns. As noted in the memos posted in our “National Security Considerations” Practice Area, closing the Smithfield investigation is a good indicator that CFIUS will not expand its mandate beyond reviewing acquisitions of U.S. businesses by foreign persons for their impact on U.S. national security.