DUBUQUE, Iowa — Workers in Dubuque have begun cooking up Spam, a pork product loved by many and mocked by many others.

The Telegraph Herald reports production of the canned meat began Monday after the completion of a $36 million expansion of a Hormel Foods plant.

Officials toured the plant Thursday.

The addition of Spam and a Bacon Bits line has enabled the plant’s workforce to grow to 303 employees.

Spam has been produced since 1937 but became far better known during World War II, when more than 100 million pounds of the spiced meat was shipped to service members overseas.

Besides Dubuque, Spam is produced at plants in Fremont, Nebraska, and Austin, Minnesota, where Hormel is based.