TESCO is beefing up security — by locking up tins of Spam.
The supermarket chain put the throwback treat in anti-theft boxes at one London shop earlier this week.
The tagged cases can be disarmed only by staff when buyers reach the checkout.
It came as the meaty wartime favourite’s average price hit £3.36.
Shoppers took to social media to complain, with one user fuming: “I realise products have risen in cost but Spam is far too high.”
Spam, a combination of ground pork and ham, was shipped abroad to feed troops in World War Two and was long considered a cheap source of protein.
But its price has risen by 6.7 per cent in a year — forcing Tesco to protect it from shoplifters in its Greenwich branch.
Graham Wynn, of the British Retail Consortium, said of Tesco’s move: “Stealing is not a victimless crime.
The £1.8billion a year lost to shop theft would be better spent investing in lower prices and better service for customers.
“Meanwhile, retailers are forced to spend a further £1.2billion a year on anti-crime measures such as CCTV, security personnel, and anti-theft devices.”
A Tesco spokesman said security protection on products was introduced wherever necessary and that it would not be a universal policy across its branches.
