EXIT OR DISPOSAL ACTIVITIES (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		48 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		48 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		33 Months Ended
	Sep. 23, 2012	Sep. 25, 2011	Sep. 23, 2012	Sep. 25, 2011	Sep. 23, 2012	Sep. 23, 2012 Facility Closing [Member]	Sep. 25, 2011 Facility Closing [Member]	Sep. 23, 2012 Facility Closing [Member]	Sep. 25, 2011 Facility Closing [Member]	Sep. 23, 2012 Facility Closing [Member]		Sep. 23, 2012 Administrative Integration [Member]	Sep. 25, 2011 Administrative Integration [Member]	Sep. 23, 2012 Administrative Integration [Member]	Sep. 25, 2011 Administrative Integration [Member]	Sep. 23, 2012 Administrative Integration [Member]
Earliest implementation date										Oct. 01, 2008	[1]					Jan. 01, 2010	[2]
Latest expected completion date										Sep. 01, 2014	[1]					Sep. 01, 2012	[2]
Positions eliminated					2,890					2,410	[1]					480	[2]
Costs incurred and expected to be incurred:
Employee-related costs					$ 17,748					$ 3,170	[1]					$ 14,578	[2]
Asset impairment costs					50,432					17,902	[1]					32,530	[2]
Inventory valuation costs					1,001					1,001	[1]					0	[2]
Other exit or disposal costs					15,328					13,335	[1]					1,993	[2]
Total exit or disposal costs					84,509					35,408	[1]					49,101	[2]
Costs incurred since earliest implementation date:
Employee-related costs	0	710	78	1,326	17,748	0	922	78	922	3,170	[1]	0	(212)	0	404	14,578	[2]
Asset impairment costs	0	8,832	1,342	13,406	50,432	0	1,625	960	5,349	17,902	[1]	0	7,207	382	8,057	32,530	[2]
Inventory valuation costs	151		151		1,001	151		151		1,001	[1]	0		0		0	[2]
Other exit or disposal costs	2,647	1,640	4,579	1,640	9,828	654	1,640	2,586	1,640	7,835	[1]	1,993	0	1,993	0	1,993	[2]
Total exit or disposal costs	$ 2,798	$ 11,182	$ 6,150	$ 16,372	$ 79,009	$ 805	$ 4,187	$ 3,775	$ 7,911	$ 29,908	[1]	$ 1,993	$ 6,995	$ 2,375	$ 8,461	$ 49,101	[2]

[1] Significant facilities closed included one processing plant in 2008, two processing plants in 2009, two processing plants in the transition period and one processing plant in 2011. The transition period began September 27, 2009 and ended December 27, 2009 and resulted from the Company's change in its fiscal year end from the Saturday nearest September 30 each year to the last Sunday in December of each year.

[2] Company management implemented certain activities to integrate the administrative functions of the Company into those of JBS USA. These included the closures of administrative offices in Georgia and Texas.