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SPAM Hormel foods Spam

Hormel foods Spam

7Avoid

Contaminants · 18

1 at/over limit
From lab tests of this product’s family
SPAM Classic and plain-flavored
This product wasn’t tested · results may differ

In the family’s tests: measured by an independent lab and compared against published safety limits.

Bisphenol a (BPA)18 ppbof 1 ppb
Over the limit — 18×EU Reg. (EU) 2024/3190 — BPA banned in food-contact materials from 20 Jan 2025 (old 0.05 mg/kg SML repealed); the residual exemptions require NO detectable migration at a 1 ug/kg detection limit. 1 ppb is therefore the tightest published number.
Measured in: Classic
Dibutyl Phthalate7.67 ppbof 120 ppb
6% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DBP SML 0.12 mg/kg (cut from 0.3). Also inside the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit (DBP x5).
Measured in: Classic
Di (2-ethylhexyl) Terephthalate0.112 ppmof 60 ppm
<1% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DEHT (FCM 798) SML 60 mg/kg, group restriction with DINCH. No tighter published limit exists (EFSA TDI 1 mg/kg bw/day).
Measured in: Classic
Benzylbutyl PhthalateNDof 6 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — BBP SML 6 mg/kg (cut from 30). Also inside the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit (BBP x0.1 = 6 mg/kg alone).
Measured in: Classic
BpfNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedNot on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), and Reg. 2024/3190 restricts hazardous bisphenols; no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Classic
BPS (Bisphenol s)NDof 50 ppb
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — BPS (4,4'-sulphonyldiphenol) SML 0.05 mg/kg; BfR applies the same 0.05 mg/kg.
Measured in: Classic
Di-n-octyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDNOP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Classic
Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP)NDof 6 ppb
Not detectedUS EPA drinking-water MCL, 40 CFR 141.61(c) — 0.006 mg/L. Applied to all foods as the TIGHTEST published DEHP number; the EU food-contact limit is looser (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442: SML 0.6 mg/kg, plus the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit with DBP/BBP/DIBP).
Measured in: Classic
Dicyclohexyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDCHP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Classic
Diethylhexyl AdipateNDof 18 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DEHA (FCM 207) SML 18 mg/kg.
Measured in: Classic
DiethylphthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDEP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Classic
Dihexyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDNHP (di-n-hexyl phthalate, EU Repr. 1B) is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Classic
Diisobutyl PhthalateNDof 150 ppb
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 2023/1442 group restriction — DBP x5 + DIBP x4 + BBP x0.1 + DEHP <= 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalents, so DIBP alone may not exceed 0.15 mg/kg. DIBP is not itself an authorised substance.
Measured in: Classic
Diisodecyl AdipateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDIDA (diisodecyl adipate) is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Classic
Diisodecyl PhthalateNDof 1.8 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DINP+DIDP group SML 1.8 mg/kg (sum). Applied to each alone.
Measured in: Classic
Diisononyl 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic AcidNDof 60 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DINCH (FCM 775) group restriction with DEHT, 60 mg/kg. No tighter published limit exists (EFSA TDI 1 mg/kg bw/day).
Measured in: Classic
Diisononyl ortho PhthalateNDof 1.8 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DINP+DIDP group SML 1.8 mg/kg (sum). Applied to each alone.
Measured in: Classic
DimethylphthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDMP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Classic

Ingredients · 6

GoodCautionAvoid

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Common questions

Is SPAM Hormel foods Spam healthy?

SPAM Hormel foods Spam scores 7/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in, plus lab results from its product family, SPAM Classic and plain-flavored. It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

What is in SPAM Hormel foods Spam?

SPAM Hormel foods Spam lists 6 ingredients, starting with Uncured Ham (Pork), Salt, Water, Modified Potato Starch and Sugar. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

Does SPAM Hormel foods Spam contain seed oils?

No. Nothing in SPAM Hormel foods Spam’s ingredient list matches a seed oil — canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, rice bran or peanut oil, or an unspecified "vegetable oil".

How processed is SPAM Hormel foods Spam?

SPAM Hormel foods Spam is NOVA group 4: ultra-processed. That is the top of the scale and the classification the score penalises most heavily.

How does SPAM Hormel foods Spam compare to other canned goods?

At 7/100 SPAM Hormel foods Spam scores worse than most canned goods we have scored. A higher-scoring option in canned goods is Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin at 100/100.

Is SPAM Hormel foods Spam organic?

SPAM Hormel foods Spam is not certified organic in our data.

Has SPAM Hormel foods Spam been lab tested?

Not this product itself. It shares a base recipe (Pork with ham, salt, water, potato starch, sugar, nitrite; no chicken or turkey) with the other products in its family, SPAM Classic and plain-flavored, and 2 products in its family have been lab tested. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Those results are in the family's Contaminants section above; its own results may differ.

Does SPAM Hormel foods Spam contain phthalates?

SPAM Hormel foods Spam itself has not been tested for phthalates, but other products in its family, which share its base recipe, have: a lab detected dibutyl phthalate at 7.67 ppb against a 120 ppb limit in Classic. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Its own results may differ.

Full methodology: how we score products.

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