SPAM - who knew so many kinds exist???

** who knew there was so much SPAM?? **

Hormel developed America's first canned ham (''Hormel Flavor-Sealed Ham'') in 1926, and eleven years later developed the first canned meat product that did not require refrigeration. It was a ''distinctive chopped pork shoulder and ham mixture'' developed by Jay C. Hormel, son of Hormel founder George A. Hormel, and marketed as ''Hormel Spiced Ham'' - not a terribly inspiring name for an innovative product fated to save lives, win wars, and balance diets of people worldwide.

Hormel Spiced Ham got off to a slightly rocky start. Other meatpackers began to introduce their own canned luncheon meats, and Hormel lost its controlling share of the market. Soon, however, they came up with a cunning plan to rectify this situation - they would give Hormel's luncheon meat a truly catchy name. Toward this end, they offered $100 for a suitable appellation. The winning name was, of course, ''SPAM® '', and a legend was born.

SPAM® was launched with much high-profile advertising in mid-1937. It was called ''the Miracle Meat'', and promoted as an anytime meat. In 1940, SPAM® was the subject of quite possibly the first singing commercial. The jingle was to the tune of the chorus of ''My Bonny Lies Over The Ocean'', and the lyrics were ''SPAM® SPAM® SPAM® SPAM® / Hormel's new miracle meat in a can/ Tastes fine, saves time./ If you want something grand,/ Ask for SPAM® !''. Hormel also sponsored George Burns' and Gracie Allen's network radio show, which included ''SPAM® my the Pig''. During World War II, sales boomed. Not only was SPAM® great for the military, as it required no refrigeration, it wasn't rationed as beef was, so it became a prime staple in American meals. SPAM® supported the war effort more directly, too. Nikita Khrushchev credits SPAM® with the survival of the Russian Army during WWII. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Hormel Girls performing troupe advertised SPAM® as they performed throughout the country, distributed SPAM® door-to-door, and even had a national weekly radio show. Ads proclaimed, ''Cold or hot, SPAM® hits the spot!''

In 1960, SPAM® began to be sold in 7 oz cans alongside the original 12 oz ones. SPAM® began to spawn variations in 1971, when smoke-flavored SPAM® was introduced. Next came less salt/sodium SPAM®, in 1986, and with it the honor of being considered ''state of the art in its industry'' by the Minnesota Association of Commerce and Industry." In the early 1990s, SPAM® Breakfast Strips were introduced, as was SPAM® lite. Today one could enjoy many kinds of SPAM® From SPAM® Classic to SPAM® Oven Roasted Turkey; there are 9 delicious SPAM® varieties to enjoy.

What is really in it?

Here is the “classic”
1. Ingredients:
o Chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added.
o Salt
o Water
o Sugar
o Sodium Nitrite
2. Nutrition Information For SPAM® (original style):
o Calories Per Serving: 170
o Calories Per Serving From Fat: 140
o Serving Size: 2 oz.
o Servings Per Container: 6 (large) or 3.5 (small)
o Total Fat: 16g
o Saturated Fat: 6g
o Cholesterol: 40mg
o Sodium: 750mg
o Total Carbohydrates: 0g
o Fiber: 0g
o Sugars: 0g
o Proteins: 7g
o Vitamin A: 0%
o Vitamin C: 0%
o Calcium: 0%
o Iron: 2%
3. SPAM® Trivia!-
o By World War II, Hormel had sold twenty thousand tons of SPAM®. Then, during the wartime meat rationing, SPAM® got popular...
o If all the cans of SPAM® ever eaten were put end-to-end, they would circle the globe at least ten times.
o In the U.S. alone, 3.8 cans of SPAM® "are consumed every second"(assuming SPAM® is eaten 24 hours a day, 365.25 days a year).
o Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia eats a sandwich of SPAM® and mayonnaise on white bread three times a week.
o Residents of Hawai'i eat an average of four cans of SPAM® per person per year, more than in any other place on Earth
o By 1959, a billion cans of SPAM® had been sold. The two billion mark was hit in 1970, followed by three billion in 1980, four billion in 1986, and five billion in 1993.
o In Korea, SPAM® is sold in stylish presentation gift boxes of nine cans each.
o SPAM® stolen from army PXs can be found on the Korean black market. And there are Korean imitations called Lo-SPAM®, Dak, Plumrose, and Tulip, to ensure that no one need go without.
o Nikita Khrushchev once credited SPAM® with the survival of the WWII Russian army. ''Without SPAM®, we wouldn't have been able to feed our army,'' he said.
o SPAM® is sold in over 99% of U.S. grocery stores.
o The SPAM® luncheon meat trademark is registered in 93 countries.
o Over 60 million people in the U.S. eat SPAM®.
o SPAM® is made in two U.S. locations - Austin, Minnesota, and Fremont, Nebraska - and seven other countries: England, Australia, Denmark, Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.
o In 1989, the U.S. armed forces bought 3.3 million pounds of SPAM®.
o Over 141 million cans of SPAM® are sold worldwide each year.