---
title: "Consumer commission confirms listeria link in recalled hummus"
description: "The National Consumer Commission says it is unaware of any illness linked to the recall of the Shoprite Checkers brand of Deli Hummus, which at first was pulled off the market for unspecified “microbial contamination”."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "FOOD SAFETY"
author: "Georgina Crouth"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/georginacrouth/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-02-consumer-commission-confirms-listeria-link-in-recalled-hummus/"
published: "2024-10-02T21:19:54"
updated: "2024-10-02T21:19:59"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 350
---

# Consumer commission confirms listeria link in recalled hummus

> The National Consumer Commission says it is unaware of any illness linked to the recall of the Shoprite Checkers brand of Deli Hummus, which at first was pulled off the market for unspecified “microbial contamination”.

By Georgina Crouth · Published 2 October 2024, 23:19 SAST · Updated 2 October 2024, 23:19 SAST

## Key points
- The National Consumer Commission has confirmed that Shoprite's hummus was recalled due to a listeria scare, leaving fans of the chickpea spread to ponder whether their next snack should come with a side of caution instead of pita.
- National Consumer Commission confirms hummus recall linked to listeria contamination.
- Shoprite Checkers voluntarily recalled its Deli Hummus range after detecting microbial contamination in three batches.
- Affected products include various hummus flavours, with customers advised to return them for refunds.
- Ongoing investigations into food safety practices at the manufacturing level, with no reported illnesses yet.

## Content

The National Consumer Commission has confirmed that the recent hummus recall was linked to the detection of listeria.

On 17 September 2024, Shoprite Checkers [issued a voluntary recall](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-09-17-shoprite-recalls-contaminated-hummus/) of its Deli Hummus range, manufactured by BM Foods — a division of the Sea Harvest Group — after unspecified “microbial contamination” was detected in three batches with sell-by dates of between 10 September and 8 October 2024.

The affected products included the following:

- Traditional Hummus (125g and 300g).
- Reduced Fat Hummus (125g).
- Za’atar Hummus (125g and 300g).
- Red Pepper Hummus (125g and 300g).
- Caramelised Onion Hummus (125g).

In a company statement, Shoprite apologised for any inconvenience caused by the recall and advised customers to stop consuming the products and return them for a full refund.

The retailer said its food scientists and technologists were 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.”

On Wednesday, the National Consumer Commission revealed that it had been notified the previous day (16 September) about the issue, and that in line with Section 60 of the Consumer Protection Act, an interim investigation pointed to “some areas of concern” on product handling at the manufacturing level.

“However, the National Consumer Commission awaits a final report from Shoprite Checkers. Parallel to the said in-house processes, the commission is independently investigating the recalled products on identified operational issues that pertain to food safety.”

The commission’s acting commissioner, Hardin Ratshisusu, said “at this stage, the National Consumer Commission is not able to determine the extent of the distribution of the products as this is the subject of an investigation. Suppliers are urged not to distribute these products further until the investigation is finalised.”

The commission’s spokesperson, Phetho Ndaba, said they were unaware of any sickness related to the hummus.

There have been numerous outbreaks of food-born disease linked to refrigerated ready-to-eat dips and tahini in particular — the latter being the sesame paste that is a key ingredient in hummus and tahina, a sesame sauce. **DM**