People realise what SPAM stands for after 89 years – and it's not an acronym

Once a staple of American soldiers’ rations during the Second World War, SPAM is now sold across 48 countries worldwide.

The iconic tinned meat was created by Hormel Foods Corporation in 1937 as a means of boosting sales of pork shoulder, a cut that had proved difficult to shift.

Ken Daigneau, brother of a Hormel Foods vice president, scooped a contest – and $100 (£75) – for coming up with the SPAM name.

Ever since, consumers have been left scratching their heads over what the ‘acronym’ actually stands for. One baffled Reddit user posed the question: “What does the acronym SPAM (meat) mean to you?”

The responses were varied, to say the least. One user offered: “Shoulder Pork and Meat.” Another user added: “Spare Parts of Animal Meat… At least that’s what us kids called it.”

A third suggested: “Salted Pork Aggregated Meat.” However, according to the brand itself, SPAM is not an acronym at all, but rather a portmanteau – a fabricated word formed by merging two or more words together, much like ‘brother’ and ‘romance’ producing ‘bromance’.

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.”

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’.”

Putting an end to another myth, SPAM shared the ingredients it uses to make its salty processed canned pork. “Ah, the age-old question; what is the meat in that special can of SPAM Classic?

“Many myths abound, but the answer is actually quite simple,” a statement adds. “Six simple ingredients – pork with ham, salt, water, potato starch, sugar and sodium nitrite.”