May 23: As Spam celebrates its 70th year of production, Crown Holdings, one of the canmakers that supplies the special cans in which the eponymous luncheon meat is packed, has been recognised for the sixth year in a row with the Spirit of Excellence award from Hormel Foods.
To qualify for an award, suppliers must meet or exceed requirements established by Hormel, which makes Spam at Austin, Minnesota. Eligible companies are then selected according to various performance criteria, including deliveries, administrative support, product quality, customer service and plant quality audits.
* Although Hormel’s Spiced Ham was first produced in 1936, it was renamed Spam in 1937 after the company held a contest within its staff to “create a name as distinctive as the taste”. The winner who came up with the Spam name was Kenneth Daigneau and was given just $100.
* More than six billion cans of Spam have been produced in its 70 years of manufacture.
