[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12185-12186]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAY, SPAM

  (Mr. WALZ of Minnesota asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. I rise today to honor southern Minnesota's own 
Hormel Foods for its 75 years of producing its world-renowned, iconic 
product--SPAM.
  Entrepreneur George Hormel opened up his meat processing plant in 
1891 in Austin, Minnesota, but it was his son Jay who came up with the 
idea of canned spice ham. Thus, in 1937, SPAM was born. SPAM served an 
essential role in World War II. Over 100 million pounds of SPAM were 
sent to the European front to aid the war efforts. After the war, 
SPAM's popularity soared globally. Over 7 billion cans have been sold.
  Since the inception of SPAM, Hormel has always kept its company's 
roots in southern Minnesota, providing thousands of good-paying jobs 
and economic stability for middle class folks in Austin. Hormel also 
has a rich history of giving back. They've partnered with organizations 
to provide food for malnourished children around the world. In 
partnership with the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic, they 
opened the world-renowned Hormel Institute, which gave us Omega-3 and -
6 fatty acids in cancer reduction.
  SPAM is an important part of our history. It played an essential role 
in feeding our troops, in creating jobs, and it has become an iconic 
American product. So, today, I honor Hormel's past, and I look forward 
to their future. Happy 75th birthday, SPAM.

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