Check Your Apocalypse Food Supply — These Spam Products Were Just Recalled

Cans of Spam on a store shelf
Cans of Spam line the shelves at a store in Berlin, Vt. AP Photo/Toby Talbot

There is a national treasure hiding in the small town of Austin, Minnesota: the Spam Museum. It’s a real place, and it’s awesome. I know because I’ve been there.

When you tour the Spam Museum, you’ll learn how the iconic canned meat product played a crucial role in World War II. You’ll see just how many flavors of Spam are currently out there. (Hint: It’s over a dozen!)

You’ll even discover that the Hormel Girls were a living, breathing, dancing and singing troupe that helped promote the deceptively salty and delicious stuff.

Today, they’d be singing a different tune. Less than one year after Minnesota celebrated Spam Day, Hormel has ordered a massive Spam recall.

Why More Than 200,000 Pounds of Spam Just Got Recalled

On Saturday, Hormel Foods issued a recall for 228,614 pounds of products that may be contaminated with foreign matter — specifically, metal pieces.

According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the products are:

  • 12-ounce metal cans containing Spam Classic with a “best by” date of February 2021 and production codes F020881, F020882, F020883, F020884, F020885, F020886, F020887, F020888 and F020889. These products were shipped throughout the United States.
  • 12-ounce metal cans containing Hormel Foods’ Black Label Luncheon Loaf with a “best by” date of February 2021 and production codes F02098 and F02108. These products were shipped to Guam only.

The same news release said that some minor injuries have been reported due to metal fragments in the product. Consumers are urged to check any Spam products in their pantries against these label images to see if their product falls under the recall.

If you do have recalled products, either toss them out or return them to the store where they were purchased.

Spam Lovers, We’ll Get Through This

I know what you’re thinking. How can you get by without the meat product that saved the world? If you’re anything like the guy from the U.K. who eats Spam every day and has actually changed his middle name to “I love Spam,” this could be a very bleak day, indeed.

Fear not. We’ll survive this.

The recall is for only two of the many Spam products. You can still enjoy your Spam Teriyaki, Spam Jalapeno or Spam with Real Hormel Bacon.

Just watch your labels and be smart about it, and you can breakfast like a champion, and maybe even wow your friends with a Spam musubi recipe at your next Stanley Cup watch party.

Tyler Omoth is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder who loves soaking up the sun and finding creative ways to help others. Now that he lives in Florida, he regrets not buying the Spam Beach Towel at the Spam Museum. Catch him on Twitter at @Tyomoth.