Spam is being kept locked in plastic cases in stores after several heists of the tinned meat in Hawaii

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Spam heists are on the rise in Hawaii, so much so that stores are putting the fatty canned meat treat in locked plastic cases.

The black market for Spam is real in Hawaii because the price has been on the rise, along with other grocery goods. However Spam is a particularly popular food staple in the string of islands as it is used in a variety of dishes particular to the state.

Stores have started putting Spam under lock and key. The Honolulu Civil Beat found cans of Spam locked up in a case at a Walgreens this week, with a sign that says 'Items electronically monitored for theft.'  

There have been at least three reported major Spam thefts in recent months, with one of the heists thwarted and another ending in a $1,000 reward to capture the suspects. 

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Spam is literally being kept under lock and key at a Walgreens in Hawaii as seen here as heists of the fatty meat treat are on the rise 

That's a lot of Spam- 18 cases to be exact. Three women in Hawaii tried to make a run for it with this cart filled with the canned meat treat

The Honolulu Police Department posted the reward as they hunt for a man and his accomplice who entered a store on October 3. The men grabbed a case of Spam and one of them punched a security guard who attempted to stop them.

The police say the men 'fled in an unknown direction,' according to KHON.  

In September, three women tried to make a run for it with 18 cases of it at a Long's drugstore on the island of Oahu.

The women are accused of loading up their cart and making a run for the exit, but not before an alert customer, Kurt Fevella noticed the Spam caper in progress.

'When I was in the cereal aisle in the corner of my eye I saw a wagon full of Spam.' explained Fevella to KITV. 

'I didn't say anything. I just stood by the door and the person that was trying to steal all the Spam just pushed the wagon and said ''Here!''' said Fevella.

Another man stole Spam without any accomplices. The lone Spam thief hit a Safeway in the Pearl City community on Oahu. 

This man walked into a store in Honolulu, Hawaii with an accomplice and made off with Spam. Police are asking for the public's help in identifying him. A close up photo of him is below

Honolulu Police are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest of these men who are accused of stealing Spam and punching a store clerk who tried to thwart the heist

Brave customer Kurt Fevella stopped a Spam caper in progress in Hawaii 

Customer Arlene Sua says she watched in amazement as a man suddenly grabbed eight cases of Spam and headed for the door. She thought 'Okay, this isn't real. No, he's not going to take it, no, no,' she told KHON.

The man and the Spam disappeared without a trace. 

It is unusual for the thefts to be carried out by a single individual, says Tina Yamaki, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii. They usually run in teams with one person distracting onlookers while another 'run out with Spam.'

'It's organized retail crime,' said Yamaki to the Washington Post. 'It's not like ''I'm going in to steal Spam to feed my family.''

There is a lot of speculation as to just how the Spam black market works, and where the canned meat is being sold. 

'We hear a lot of rumors where it's going,' Yamaki said. 'We've heard they work through middlemen. We've heard that they're selling it from the back of their cars. We've heard all kinds of rumors. Whether they're true or not, I'm not sure.' 

There are several dishes that Hawaiians use Spam for that aren't popular in the mainland US.  

They eat 'Spam fried rice,' or 'Spam and eggs' or a Korean Spam stew called budae jjigae and especially Spam musubi, a sushi-like snack of cooked rice, Spam and often teriyaki sauce all wrapped in seaweed.

Spam first became popular during World War II when fresh meat was scarce on the island, according to the Washington Post. 

Hawaiians eat more Spam per-capita than in any other state, consuming approximately six cans a year for each man, woman and child in Hawaii.