I encourage you to consider adding SPAM to your grocery list when deciding which survival foods to stockpile. Since 1937 it’s been feeding people all around the world.

SPAM is an inexpensive meat solution that has helped people survive through World War II and the Great Depression. SPAM is a good survival food because it can be eaten directly out of the can with no cooking, provides a lot of fat, protein, and calories in each serving, and doesn’t require refrigeration.

What is the Shelf Life of SPAM?

An unexaggerated projection is that the self life of SPAM is between 2-5 years. Hormel Foods, the creators of SPAM, make it very clear that SPAM is not intended to stay on your shelf uneaten for an extended amount of time. In fact, on the bottom of each can there is printed a “best by” date. Depending on when you purchase that specific can, it could be stored for anywhere from 2-5 years.

Hormel Foods states:

While the keeper of an emergency underground bunker might have you believe SPAM® products offer eternal freshness, there is, in fact, a limit to their goodness.

Some people will have you believe that SPAM can be stored for 50 years. While this might be the case in some instances, that is not the rule. If you come across a can past it’s “best by” date do an inspection before gobbling it up.

How to Tell if SPAM Has Gone Bad

You definitely don’t want to eat spoiled food. Eating spoiled food can cause you to feel very sick and could possibly lead to death. The symptoms may include fevers, chills, diarrhea, vomiting, and other unpleasant effects. Besides checking the best by date on the bottom of your can, please do a quick sight and smell test before devouring your SPAM no matter how hungry you are.

• Sight Test. Inspect the can for dents, rust, and leaks. If your can has rust and leaks you definitely don’t want to risk eating it. Best just to throw that can away. You still may be able to consume it if it is dented. Open it up and look for signs of discoloration, mold or anything that looks off. Throw it away if you are unsure. 
• Smell Test. If you open a can of SPAM and a bad odor comes out, toss it! 

What is in SPAM?

Six ingredients! Believe it or not, there are only 6 ingredients in SPAM classic. They are: pork with ham meat added (that counts as one), salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrite.

1. Pork with Ham. SPAM uses two cuts from the pig. Hormel introduced SPAM in 1937 and the The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America states that the product was intended to increase the sale of pork shoulder which was not a very popular cut.
2. Salt. Salt plays a crucial role in maintaining human health. One reason our bodies need salt is to help maintain the right balance of fluids in our bodies. In normal life situations we typically don’t need to think about getting enough salt in our diet. We do that naturally by what we eat. But, in a survival situation, when food is scarce, you need to make sure you are getting enough salt. With 1 serving of SPAM you can meet your daily requirements.
3. Water. There is not enough water in SPAM to survive on.
4. Potato Starch. Commonly used starch in recipes. In SPAM it helps keep the moisture inside the meat.
5. Sugar. SPAM uses real sugar. No imitations or chemical substitutes. 
6. Sodium Nitrate. Some people frown when they see sodium nitrate listed as an ingredient because it is thought that sodium nitrate may damage your blood vessels. It is used in processed meats like SPAM to retain freshness. You’ll also find sodium nitrate in the bacon you eat, jerky, and most lunch meats.

How Much SPAM Should I Store for a Year?

I recommend that you store 183 cans of SPAM for 1 person for 1 year. That will give you 1/2 a can of SPAM for each day. I’m assuming that you have other foods that you are storing as well to supplement your diet and give you variety. Even though there are 15 flavors of SPAM you will get pretty bored of eating SPAM every day.

SPAM should not be the only thing that you eat. Make sure that you store food that gives you the nutrients to survive. Since the shelf life of SPAM is limited to 2-5 years you might consider buying your long term food storage from My Patriot Supply. Their shelf life is 25 years and offer a 1-Year Emergency Food Supply Kit.

How Long Can a Person Live On SPAM Alone?

If all you are consuming is SPAM then you most likely will survive a few days to a week. There is just not enough water in SPAM to sustain you. Water is essential to our body. How much water we need depends on our environment, our sex, and our age. Water helps regulate the temperature of our body, carries nutrients to our organs and cells, lubricates our joints, and many other very important functions to keep us healthy.

• Gravity Powered Water Filter. In a survival situation where clean potable water may be in short supply I recommend that you store a water filtration system along with your emergency food supplies. There are many options for you to choose from. One of our favorites is Alexapure Pro Water Filter. Since we live off-grid we filter our drinking water every day. It works terrific for filtering out any harmful bacteria that might be in the water.
• Portable Water Filter. If you’re looking for a more portable water filter then I recommend that you buy a LifeStraw. They are lightweight, durable, affordable, and can be stored on your shelf indefinitely. They come in a sealed bag which you can store on your shelf with your survival food, or in a backpack or bug out bag. 

How to Store SPAM for the Long-Term

The best way to store SPAM is in a cool, dark, and dry location. I’m guessing that since you’re reading this article you already have a place in your home or you are planning on building one. SPAM cans are small and unlike some canned meat they fit on top of each other nicely. This makes it very convenient for stacking multiple cans on top of each other.

How to Cook SPAM

You don’t have to cook SPAM. One of the reasons SPAM is such a great survival food is because you can eat it right out of the can. Part of the process of making SPAM is bringing it up to temperature and then vacuum-sealing it. This ensures that it is safe for us consumers and cooking is optional.

There are so many ways to cook SPAM if you choose not to eat it right out of the can. Since SPAM is eaten internationally you can find some pretty unique recipes out there. A Hawaiian favorite is a dish called “SPAM Musubi”. SPAM Musubi is a block of grilled SPAM with a block of rice, wrapped in edible seaweed.

Some of the most popular ways to eat SPAM are:

• Sandwiches. One of the most popular ways to eat SPAM is slicing it and putting it in your sandwich. Try substituting it for your regular sandwich meat. You might be surprised at how much you like it.
• Breakfast Meat. This is our favorite way to eat it! We slice it and fry it in just a little oil, frying both sides. We eat it with eggs. Makes a tasty and filling breakfast.
  
• Tacos. Make delicious tacos with SPAM. 
• Fried Rice. Cube it into small pieces and add it to your fried rice. Yum! 
• 15 Flavors. You are only limited by your imagination. SPAM has 15 different flavors to choose from. One of my personal favorites is SPAM Hickory Smoked. Wow! 

Where to Buy SPAM

Since SPAM makes a good survival food it sure would be nice to know where to buy it. SPAM Classic, SPAM Lite, and SPAM 25% Less Sodium are the easiest to find on the shelves than any of the other flavors. Below are a few suggestions to help you on your quest for SPAM.

• Grocery Stores. SPAM is sold at a lot of your major grocery stores. Walmart, Safeway, Target, Dollar General, Kroger, and Walgreens just to name a few. Most likely you will find SPAM Classic and SPAM Lite sold here. If you want to buy the many flavors of SPAM you’re probably going to have to go online to find them. 
• Amazon. As with most items buying online is your best bet if you’re looking for something specific. If you want to try all of the 15 flavors that SPAM has to offer, then I suggest you buy on Amazon. You can even buy a variety pack so that you can give them a try before buying in bulk. Amazon sells a variety pack of 12 Cans with 12 different flavors for $92.75. Going a little less expensive you can buy a 6 Can Variety of 6 cans for $51.89. This is fun idea if you have the money and want to taste all the flavors that SPAM has to offer.
• Gas Stations SPAM is everywhere! Even in your gas station. We were on a recent road trip and I found a 12 oz can of SPAM Classic at a gas station. Pretty cool!
  

SPAM Offers Variety

• 12 oz cans. This is the most common product of SPAM that people recognize. It comes with the easy open pull top in the traditional blue and yellow can. This is also the only variety of SPAM that you can find all 15 flavors in.
• 7 oz cans. Just a smaller version of the 12 oz can. No need to worry about what to do with the leftovers if you just want a couple servings. 
• Spreads. Buy SPAM Spread in a can with a pull top just like traditional SPAM. The difference is that it is intended for spreading on your bread, crackers, etc. instead of slicing like traditional SPAM.
• Singles. SPAM singles are a 2.5 oz pouch of 1 slice of SPAM. This is a convenient option for throwing into your survival backpack or bug out bag! No need to open a whole can if you just want one serving.
• Fries. SPAM Fries come in a 13.51 oz box. Look for them in the freezer section of your grocery store. They are fully cooked lightly breaded FROZEN strips of SPAM Classic. Since they are frozen they don’t make a good survival food, but it’s fun to know they exist! 😃 These are pretty difficult to find so consider yourself lucky and grab a few packages when you see them. Also, let me know in the comments below what you think of them.
• Patties. SPAM Patties are another frozen variety of SPAM for you to consider eating. They are prebreaded fully cooked SPAM Classic frozen patties that come in a box. Just like SPAM fires they are more difficult to find than the traditional SPAM in a can. Let me know in the comments what you think of them when you do find them! They are sold in a few different size boxes including 13.51 oz and 27 oz boxes and cook is eight minutes. Either put them in your air fryer, oven, or stove top and enjoy the goodness. 

Conclusion

In my opinion SPAM is a good survival food. The one downside is that its “best by date” is only 2-5 years. But, it’s commonly accepted that SPAM can be stored for a lot longer than that and still be eaten.

BUT there are so many positives! SPAM can be eaten right out of the can without being cooked, gives you a lot of calories, fat, and protein in each can, you don’t need to refrigerate it until after it’s been opened, and there are about 15 different flavors to choose from.

I think SPAM is a great choice for you if you’re looking for a good meat source to stockpile. It’s great for both the serious prepper or if you’re just planning ahead for an emergency. Please tell me what your favorite SPAM flavor is and how you eat it.