Hummus is a healthy dip that is usually made with chickpeas, lemon, garlic and a sesame seed paste called tahini. It is a good source of soluble fiber and the fat it contains is healthy unsaturated fat, rather than the saturated fat found in many dips. As with a number of other foods, there have been some cases of the food-borne illness salmonella related to consumption of hummus dips containing tahini.
Salmonella
Salmonella is one of the most commonly reported food-borne illnesses, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service. Most people recover within one week without treatment. However, some people with very severe diarrhea and weakened immune systems need medical treatment, or salmonella may be life-threatening.
Hummus and Salmonella
In the United States, a large outbreak of salmonella involving 802 people occurred in 2007 when tahini contaminated with salmonella was used in hummus, and another outbreak caused by consuming hummus involving 700 people occurred in 2008. Salmonella can even survive in acidic varieties of hummus, according to a study presented in 2008 at the Annual Meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists.
Salmonella Symptoms
If you are infected with salmonella bacteria, symptoms usually begin between eight hours and 72 hours after eating contaminated food. These symptoms include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, chills, vomiting and fever. Some people develop a condition called Reiter's syndrome, which causes arthritis, painful urination and eye irritation, but this condition is rare.
Considerations
Salmonella from hummus is not all that common. However, people with weakened immune systems, children, elderly people and pregnant women are at higher risk for developing salmonella infections. You are more likely to be infected with salmonella in the summer than in the winter. Practicing safe food handling practices such as washing your hands often, keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot and preventing cross-contamination can limit your risk for salmonellosis.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks --- United States, 2007; A. Boore, et al.; August 2010
- Agricultural Research Service; Survival of Salmonella Heidelberg in Hummus; Andea Laylock, et al.; June 2008
- Department of Defense Veterinary Food Analysis and Diagnostic Laboratory; Information Paper; October 2010
- U.S. Department of Agriculture; Salmonella Questions and Answers; April 2011
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; What is Salmonellosis?; September 2010
