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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	3 Months Ended
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	Jul. 29, 2012
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Reportable Segments	Smithfield Foods, Inc., together with its subsidiaries (the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”), is the largest hog producer and pork processor in the world. We produce and market a wide variety of fresh meat and packaged meats products both domestically and internationally. We conduct our operations through four reportable segments: Pork, Hog Production, International and Corporate, each of which is comprised of a number of subsidiaries, joint ventures and other investments.
Fiscal Period	The three months ended July 29, 2012 correspond to the first quarter of fiscal 2013 and the three months ended July 31, 2011 correspond to the first quarter of fiscal 2012.
Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Net Income per Share We present dual computations of net income per share. The basic computation is based on weighted average common shares outstanding during the period. The diluted computation reflects the potentially dilutive effect of common stock equivalents, such as stock options and convertible notes, during the period. We excluded stock options for approximately 2.1 million and 1.7 million shares for the three months ended July 29, 2012 and July 31, 2011, respectively, from the diluted computation because their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

Disclosure of accounting policy for computing basic and diluted earnings or loss per share for each class of common stock and participating security. Addresses all significant policy factors, including any antidilutive items that have been excluded from the computation and takes into account stock dividends, splits and reverse splits that occur after the balance sheet date of the latest reporting period but before the issuance of the financial statements.

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- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for determining an entity's fiscal year or other fiscal period. This disclosure may include identification of the fiscal period end-date, the length of the fiscal period, any reporting period lag between the entity and its subsidiaries, or equity investees. If a reporting lag exists, the closing date of the entity having a different period end is generally noted, along with an explanation of the necessity for using different closing dates. Any intervening events that materially affect the entity's financial position or results of operations are generally also disclosed.

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