While the colorful gelatin dessert we now know as Jell-O was created in 1897, Jell-O sales wavered during the latter half of the 20th century until it was relaunched as a family-friendly food product. Despite Jell-O's turbulent reputation, the dessert became an obsession with Utah, eventually leading to a friendly feud with Iowa.

In 1999, Iowa's capital, Des Moines, managed to beat Salt Lake City for the number one capita sales of Jell-O, a title that Salt Lake City had held for the two years prior. The following year, Bambara executive chef, Scott Blackerby, funded a "Take Back the Title" campaign, leading Brigham Young students to pressure the state legislature to recognize Jell-O as an official state snack in 2001.

Salt Lake City took back its reign in 2000 (via The Daily Universe), and the mayor of Des Moines at the time, Preston Daniels, reportedly joked that he was "highly disappointed." According to The Daily Universe, Jell-O has "always been a part of Utah pop culture," including an official Jell-O Week that takes place on the second week of February.