DOCUMENT AND ENTITY INFORMATION	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 28, 2014	Nov. 07, 2014
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	SMITHFIELD FOODS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000091388
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-28
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 28, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		1,000