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INVESTMENTS (Tables) | 9 Months Ended
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Jan. 29, 2012
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract] |
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Table Text Block] | Investments consist of the following:
Equity Investment |  | % Owned |  | January 29, 2012 |  | May 1, 2011
|  |  |  | (in millions)
Campofrío Food Group (CFG) |  | 37% |  | $ | 375.2 |  |  | $ | 445.1 |
Mexican joint ventures |  | 50% |  | 104.8 |  |  | 110.2 |
Other |  | Various |  | 26.4 |  |  | 27.2 |
Total investments |  |  |  | $ | 506.4 |  |  | $ | 582.5 |
Per Share Price for Equtiy Method Investment [Table Text Block] | The table below shows CFG's intra-day high share price and Smithfield's carrying value, expressed in euro per share, on various dates relevant to our disclosures.
Date |  | Share Price |  | Carrying Value
October 30, 2011 (1) |  | €6.35 |  | €7.83
January 29, 2012 (1) |  | €6.75 |  | €7.55
February 17, 2012 |  | €7.20 |  | €7.54
March 5, 2012 |  | €6.61 |  | €7.51
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(1) | Share prices on quarter end dates reflect the last trading day in the quarter.
Schedule of Equity in (Income) Loss of Equity Method Investments [Table Text Block] | Equity in loss (income) of affiliates consists of the following:
|  |  |  | Three Months Ended |  | Nine Months Ended
Equity Investment |  | Segment |  | January 29, 2012 |  | January 30, 2011 |  | January 29, 2012 |  | January 30, 2011
|  |  |  | (in millions) |  | (in millions)
CFG (1) |  | International |  | $ | 28.2 |  |  | $ | (7.1 | ) |  | $ | 24.0 |  |  | $ | (18.0 | )
Mexican joint ventures |  | International |  | (6.4 | ) |  | (7.8 | ) |  | (11.3 | ) |  | (23.6 | )
All other equity method investments |  | Various |  | 0.2 |  |  | (0.3 | ) |  | (1.4 | ) |  | (2.7 | )
Equity in loss (income) of affiliates |  |  |  | $ | 22.0 |  |  | $ | (15.2 | ) |  | $ | 11.3 |  |  | $ | (44.3 | )
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(1) | CFG prepares its financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards. Our share of CFG’s results reflects U.S. GAAP adjustments and thus, there may be differences between the amounts we report for CFG and the amounts reported by CFG.
In December 2011 (fiscal 2012), the board of CFG approved a multi-year plan to consolidate and streamline its manufacturing operations to improve operating efficiencies and increase utilization (the CFG Consolidation Plan). The CFG Consolidation Plan includes the disposal of certain assets, employee redundancy costs and the contribution of CFG's French cooked ham business into a newly formed joint venture. As a result, we recorded our share of CFG's charges totaling $38.7 million in equity in loss (income) of affiliates within the International segment in the third quarter of fiscal 2012.

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of equity method investments in common stock. The disclosure may include: (a) the name of each investee or group of investments for which combined disclosure is appropriate, (2) the percentage ownership of common stock, (3) the difference, if any, between the carrying amount of an investment and the value of the underlying equity in the net assets and the accounting treatment of difference, if any, and (4) the aggregate value of each identified investment based on its quoted market price, if available. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Accounting Principles Board Opinion (APB) -Number 18 -Paragraph 20 -Subparagraph a, b -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6382943&loc=d3e33918-111571 + Details
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