Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Paige Freshwater & Kate Lally

People are just realising what SPAM stands for after 86 years

It's sold in almost 50 countries around the world, and has been going for a whopping 86 years, but many people are just now realising what SPAM actually stands for.

The tinned meat product was a vital part of a US soldiers' diet during World War II after being created by Hormel Foods Corporation in 1937 to increase the sale of pork shoulder, a cut which did not sell well.

Ken Daigneau, brother of a Hormel Foods vice president, won a contest - and $100 - for naming the SPAM brand, the Mirror reports. But since then many people have wondered where the name actually comes from.

READ MORE: Weight loss expert Michael Mosley shares six foods to avoid on holiday

Taking to Reddit, one confused user asked: "What does the acronym SPAM (meat) mean to you?" In response, one user said: "Shoulder Pork and Meat." Another user added: "Spare Parts of Animal Meat... At least that's what us kids called it."

A third said: "Salted Pork Aggregated Meat." But according to the brand, SPAM isn't an acronym but a portmanteau, a word made up from a combination of two or more words.

A statement reads: "There are some questions that continually plague man over time. Questions like 'Is there intelligent life beyond Earth?' And 'What is the meaning of the SPAM brand name?' Unfortunately, we can provide answers to neither.

"The significance of the SPAM brand name has long been a subject of speculation. One popular belief says it's derived from the words 'spiced ham.' The real answer is known by only a small circle of former Hormel Foods executives. And probably Nostradamus."

Having heard SPAM's possible explanation before, one user said: "It's a portmanteau, not an acronym, isn't it? SPiced hAM." [sic]

Another user added: "Spiced ham. Originally that’s what it’s called but people came up with dumb names for it: 'specially preserved army meat' and 'American meat'.

Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here

You can win a share of £3,600 in Aldi vouchers

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.