Cans of Spam luncheon meat, specially-designed for the Japanese market, are displayed with other Okinawan specialty products at a souvenir shop in Naha on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on March 5, 2008.
World War II’s Lend-Lease program allowed the U.S. to manufacture and transfer important wartime items –including, you know, food — to countries whose defense was crucial to the United States. The non-perishable, pre-cooked Spam was a logical component of the Allies’ supply deal. During the war, Hormel sent more than 15 million cans of Spam a week to soldiers. It was “the last line of defense between battle-weary soldiers and starvation,” according to Spam’s website.
The Lend-Lease Act introduced Great Britain to the product. Had this not happened, the world may never have known the magic of Spam fritters.