The bad news: There’s a public health alert about canned Spam. Here’s the good news
The USDA has issued a public health alert concerning the United States’ favorite canned meat, Spam Classic, sold at one of the nation’s largest grocery sellers.
The alert from the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service says Hormel Foods told the USDA that it “inadvertently shipped product that may not have been adequately processed to reach commercial sterility.”
Before you start chucking Spam cans into the garbage or putting that Spam-banana dish down the garbage disposal, know that Spam fans in 49 states and territories don’t have to worry. The alert concerns Spam Classic in lot No. A08173, best by August 2026, sold at supermarket chain HEB — or H-E-B — the nation’s No. 8 seller of groceries and serving Texas almost exclusively.
Return the Spam to the store where you bought it for a full refund or throw it out. But, don’t eat it.
Questions about this alert can be answered by Hormel Foods at 800-523-4635 or cresponse@hormel.com.
