Can You Eat Spam Raw? [What You Need to Know to Stay Safe]

Spam is a great prepper food that is delicious and cost-effective. So, you probably have some spam stored in a cool dark location and you’re thinking, ‘can you eat spam raw?’

If you’re wondering that, you’ve come to the right place.

Yes, you can eat spam raw. By this, I mean you can eat spam directly from the can since it is pre-cooked. The spam inside the can is safe to eat without any prior preparations. 

So, in this article, we’ll dive deeper into that, whether you should eat spam, and much more.

Let’s dive in.

Yes, you can eat spam “raw” so to speak – you cannot buy raw spam because the spam is already pre-cooked when it comes in the cans.

Million of soldiers during wars have eaten spam straight out of the can safely.

It is properly pasteurized and clean, so you will not get any food poisoning unless you have some sort of allergy to spam, or mixed it in with some other foods.

It does have a strong smell and is greasy if not cooked by you, though, so I recommend you cook it if you want an enjoyable meal, but it isn’t necessary to do so.

This video shows what eat spams tastes like and what the experience is like.

Can You Eat Spam Cold?

Yes, you can eat spam cold. You do not have to cook it yourself before eating it. But, cooking it or heating is advisable, since it will make your eating experience a lot better.

Although, if you just want a quick and convenient meal, then you don’t need to cook or heat it.

Now, you might be asking yourself, is spam healthy for me or is it something that will slowly kill me?

Is Spam Healthy?

Spam isn’t considered healthy, but it will fill your stomach. It contains proteins and minerals like zinc and potassium, but also contains many unhealthy products.

Firstly, spam is processed meat. It can cause heart problems and diabetes if eaten in excessive amounts over a long period of time, alongside other problems. In the case of dogs, small amounts of spam can hurt them

Additionally, spam has sodium nitrate so that it can ward off bacteria and increase the taste, at a cost to you. The cost, over the long-term is cancer, tumor formation, and diabetes.

Additionally, spam has a boatload of sodium and fat. This can cause higher blood pressure, obesity, and other consequences if eaten in excess. 

So, it’s always good practice to store foods that last for a long time in can SHTF, but storing too much unhealthy food like spam could leave you with a severely shortened lifespan. 

Here are some survival foods that I would also recommend you store up on.

What is Spam?

Spam is a cheap and filling canned food that can last a long time. Spam was made in 1937 by Hormel Foods Corporation and the recipe hasn’t changed since.

Spam is a salty, greasy meat – but the saltiness and greasiness can be reduced by cooking it.

Talking about saltiness, did you know salt makes candles burn longer?

Does Spam Go Bad?

Spam does go bad but it will take a while for it to go bad – especially in optimal conditions. If stored in a cool, dark place, and follow other canned food storage methods, it should last well over a decade.

But, often the conditions are not perfect, so the spam will probably last 2-5 years.

Signs Spam Has Gone Bad

You can tell your spam has went bad when it clearly has a potent bad smell when you open the can, when it has mold on the spam, when there is severe discoloration of the spam, or if it tastes unusual.

If you have tasted it and it doesn’t taste right, you should spit it out unless you want food poisoning.

Final Words

So, can you eat spam raw? You can eat spam “raw” – by which I mean directly from the can without any serious short-term repercussions.

Now, this does not hold true if the spam has gone bad, you are allergic to it, or you have eaten some other food that doesn’t go well with spam. 

Hopefully, you can enjoy a moderate amount of spam and be sure to stack up on prepper foods!

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