These days, a pervasive fear of processed food of all kinds seems to govern the foodie world. And we get it. Processed food … isn’t all that great for you, with studies showing the host of health risks linked to consuming a diet rich in ultra-processed foods, including but not limited to a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, and some forms of cancer. And processed meat specifically has been classed as a Group 1 carcinogen (aka known to cause cancer) by the World Health Organization.
That said, just because a food is processed doesn’t mean it’s mysterious: the contents of a can of Spam are in no way a secret. Spam’s ingredients list, according to Hormel Foods, is actually relatively short, with just six items. Chief among them is pork, but contrary to what you might suspect, it’s not scrap meat or castoffs. Indeed, LiveScience notes, the pork in Spam hails from the pork shoulder — a cut rich in fat and flavor. Its 1937 invention was spurred by a need to sell this portion, underused at the time.
To the pork shoulder are added five other ingredients: salt, water, potato starch (to bind everything together), sugar, and sodium nitrate (a preservative that keeps the ham fresh and, well, shelf-stable).
The ingredients are packed together and cooked in the cans, making Spam a ready-to-eat product that’s quick, easy, and delicious. (And mystery meat free.)
