Shoprite recalls contaminated hummus

17 Sep 2024

Ready-to-eat dips can pose a risk to consumer health, as seen in international recalls.

Ready-to-eat (RTE) dips can harbour potentially dangerous pathogens.

The Shoprite group recalled on Monday its Deli range of hummus, sold in Checkers supermarkets and selected OK Foods stores, due to unspecified microbial contamination.

The group announced that it had initiated a voluntary recall of its 300g and 125g tubs of fresh Deli hummus, with sell-by dates of between 10 September and 8 October 2024.

The affected products, which are sold across the country, include:

Hummus

Reduced Fat Hummus

Za’atar Hummus

Red Pepper Hummus

Caramelised Onion Hummus

Microbiological contamination was found in three batches of the Deli branded label hummus on Monday morning. The affected batches and all associated products have now been withdrawn and production at the supplier has been halted.

None of the products are currently listed on the group’s website.

In a company statement, Shoprite said it understands that customers will be concerned and it apologises for any inconvenience caused by the voluntary recall.

It said customers should not consume the products and return them to the store from where they were purchased for a full refund, even without proof of purchase.

The retailer said its food scientists and technologists are working closely with its supplier and the National Consumer Commission on the recall.

“We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of food safety, ensuring that only top-quality products reach our customers.”

While the group has not revealed what might be the source of contamination, there has been concern internationally about the presence of salmonella and listeria in refrigerated ready-to-eat dips and tahini — the sesame seed paste that’s a key ingredient in hummus — is deemed to be a high-risk food.

In March last year, the New Zealand Herald reported that several brands of hummus and tahini were recalled due to potential salmonella contamination. The Ministry of Primary Industries described the recall as “complex” because the tahini in the hummus products was imported from Turkey and used in a large variety of products.

“No testing can be failsafe, so the additional required controls put in place by an importer are critical. In this instance, routine manufacturer testing detected Salmonella in products already in New Zealand,” the MPI said.

In 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the results of a sampling programme of RTE dips and spreads that tested for salmonella and listeria. Conducted between March 2021 and January 2022, the FDA tested 747 samples of various products, including hummus, tahini, pimento cheese, and yoghurt-based items.

While most samples were safe, the FDA detected salmonella in one hummus sample and listeria monocytogenes in three samples of dip and cheese spread.

RTE dips and spreads can become contaminated through environmental pathogens present in the food manufacturing environment or introduced during processing, or through contaminated ingredients, it noted. These products often have conditions that favour bacterial growth, and since they are typically consumed without cooking, any present pathogens can pose a significant health risk.

Between 2017 and 2020, there were 10 hummus recalls and four cheese dip and spread recalls due to these pathogens in the US.

In April this year, the Groupe Manufacturier Metro in Canada recalled two brands of hummus for microbial contamination, specifically yeast. DM

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