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Thread: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

  1. #1
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Just in case anyone has bought commercial hummus recently and has missed this story:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,2015332,00.html

    Makes homemade hummus seem a better idea than ever

  2. #2
    cedartree cedarblue's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    too right harpy - cheaper and tastier too.
    thanks for that!

  3. #3
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Must admit I'm rather lazy about making my own, but it seems to be time to turn over a new leaf!

  4. #4
    alisont's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    I did throw out the remains of the Sainsburys one we had in, brought some from fresh and wild yesterday. Wonder where the risk is? must be on production line as cant think of any high risk ingredients in Hummus?

    I need a new stronger blender before i try making my own! would rather make own as most shop ones too salty!

  5. #5
    Rentaghost Marrers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Well that explains the empty shelves! I can be bothered to make my own but I'm in serious withdrawal!

  6. #6

    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Would it be ok to buy independant health food store houmous?
    Presumably if there was a risk it wouldn't be on the shelves, so if I find some I can eat it, right!

  7. #7
    cedartree cedarblue's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Quote Marrers View Post
    Well that explains the empty shelves! I can be bothered to make my own but I'm in serious withdrawal!

    ????

    get out blender
    tip in can of chickpeas
    pop in some garlic
    add a spoonful of tahini (optional)
    add a dash of olive oil
    squeeze of lemon juice
    some pepper

    blend

    takes no more than 2-3 mins

    come on lazybones - make some !!!!

  8. #8
    Punctuation !!'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    i was so upset today, Sainsbury's shelves were empty of lemon and corriander hummus time to make my own

  9. #9
    perfect RedWellies's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Quote cedarblue View Post
    tip in can of chickpeas
    Yes, better than cooking them yourself. They smell like fresh dog poo!!
    "Do what you can with what you have where you are."
    - Theodore Roosevelt

  10. #10
    snaffler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    I prefer home made unless its really busy around home, less damn garlic who wants to snog a garlic smelling vegan :-(
    Go confidently in the direction of your dreams

  11. #11
    Rentaghost Marrers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Quote cedarblue View Post
    ????
    . . . takes no more than 2-3 mins
    come on lazybones - make some !!!!
    Listen here cedarblue, I made soup tonight! That is my contribution to cooking for the next month at least!!

    I did make houmous once for a party, my friend is a chef and sometimes makes it - I just don't like it as much as shop bought stuff.

  12. #12

    Red face Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    I'm more concerned about where the salmonella came from! I'd always thought that vegan foodstuffs were very very low risk for salmonella.

    A web search revealled the following info;
    "Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds. Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods usually look and smell normal. Contaminated foods are often of animal origin, such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs, but all foods, including vegetables may become contaminated. Many raw foods of animal origin are frequently contaminated, but fortunately, thorough cooking kills Salmonella. Food may also become contaminated by the unwashed hands of an infected food handler, who forgot to wash his or her hands with soap after using the bathroom."

    Uck!!!!

    More incentive to make my own!!! I must learn that less is more though. My last attempt had people two floors down from my office complaining of the strong smell of garlic!!!!

  13. #13

    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Official sighting of houmous: Food For Thought, Kingston.
    I am now enjoying houmous.
    Mmm.

  14. #14

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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    I bought some San Amvrosia Health Foods houmous from my local health food shop the other day - it's delicious, so creamy. I hope this houmous hysteria doesn't affect my favourite brand. I really can't be arsed to make it, no matter how easy it seems.

  15. #15
    lozza's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Quote RedWellies View Post
    Yes, better than cooking them yourself. They smell like fresh dog poo!!
    hehe I always think they smell like cat food :P but i still like eating them.

  16. #16
    lozza's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    i have made my own humous before... and i know everyone says homemade is better..but to be honest, i've always thought the opposite. i can never get mine to taste as good as the ones in the supermarket.

    i must admit, i do love sainsburys one's. the roasted red pepper one. and the roasted vegetable ones are amazing.

    i was concerned over the salmonella warning. i usually buy my humous from sainsburys [the company that makes m+s also makes for sainsburys], but i guess i should either start making my own or support my local healthfood store & buy from there [but its expensive and i cant really afford it]

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    Default Re: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Quote lozza View Post
    i have made my own humous before... and i know everyone says homemade is better..but to be honest, i've always thought the opposite. i can never get mine to taste as good as the ones in the supermarket.
    I always make my own because you can't get it in the shops here! And I love it, think it tastes great. I've often read people on here saying that hummus made with dried chickpeas is better, but I find it tasteless, I prefer the canned ones! So I do get where you're coming from. But canned chickpeas are so cheap (or you can use any other bean) and it's so quick and easy to make with a stick blender creating minimal washing up that, you can whizz it up in an instant. Definitely worth thinking about if there are all these health scares, I guess it's just a question of habit.

    It's great to see you back lozza, hope you're doing OK

  18. #18
    Beagle Hugger scarlett's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Has anyone eaten any store brought hummus since this warning ? Hubby brought some back from tescos today (I have tried several times to make my own but it was awful)
    I'm guessing if it's back on the shelves that all is okay now ?

  19. #19
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Oh, is it back? I haven't seen any recently. I have been checking, but didn't look today.

    I did eventually get around to making some of my own at the weekend so that's probably what did the trick

  20. #20
    sprite1986
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    I've just got into the habit of making my own - as Fiamma says, it's so easy and you can make it just as you want, for a fraction of the price. For mine I just use hardly any tahini, and loads of lemon juice.

    I'm a bit wary of buying the shop bought humous now. I'm sure it's now all fine, but all the same..

  21. #21
    alisont's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Ive not found hummus anywhere cant make my own til i get a new blender as mine just wont blend chcik peas

    Am missing my hummus!

  22. #22
    Punctuation !!'s Avatar
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    Talking Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    i tried to make some and it was the most vile thing i have ever, ever made. HIDEOUS. I don't think my blender was good enough. hurry up with the hummus, sainsbury's!

  23. #23
    sprite1986
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Yeah, the first one I ever made was absolutely disgusting, and I followed the recipe from a well known book (I'm just saying that as I can't remember the authors name - Rose something..) and eurgh.

    But now I just use 1 tin of chickpeas, about 2 tsp of tahini, a clove of garlic and LOADS of lemon juice, and just a cheap handheld blender - and it comes out as the consistency of the shop stuff, but much nicer!

    Before, I found with all other recipes that the garlic was over-powering (and this is coming from someone who likes garlic) and too much tahini and dry and stuff like that. So maybe just keep experimenting with it to find out how to make the stuff you like?

  24. #24
    Punctuation !!'s Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    my blender didn't seem to get the concistency right, and it tasted 'off'. I used a tin of chickpeas, tahini and garlic. it even smelt wrong. i'll give it another go but i'm not convinced...

  25. #25
    sprite1986
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    leeeeemon juice. If I didn't put some of this in, I probably wouldn't be able to eat what I make, haha.

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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    I've given up putting garlic in mine, and just use a tin of chickpeas or other beans (cannellini and butter beans are good substitutes), a tablespoon of tahini, the juice of half a lemon or (more), a tablespoon of olive oil and some of the water the beans came in. I also sometimes chuck in some pumpkin seeds.

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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Alison, I just saw your post - why not try with some of the softer beans? Butter beans and cannellini beans are both fairly soft. Adding more liquid might help too.

  28. #28
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    I may have already said this somewhere, but I find it works better if you use roasted garlic. The raw stuff tends to overpower the other flavours even if you don't use much.

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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    That's a great tip harpy, thanks for that

  30. #30
    Lilac Hamster
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    There are sometimes other brands on the shelves now, but none of the supermarket own brand as far as I can see in our local Sainsbury's.

    I don't think it was all hummus that was affected, just one large maker of it for the big stores so there should be some of the smaller independent brands about.

    We got some which was an Israeli brand, with the chickpeas at the bottom and pine nuts on the top, can't remember the name, and another brand called "Lava", both in our local small branch of Sainsburys and in the last few days.

  31. #31
    Punctuation !!'s Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    was it nice, lilac hamster? i've seen the Israeli brand in Sainsbury's today, might give it a go!

  32. #32
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Got some from waitrose at the weekend but its pretty nasty.

  33. #33
    Lilac Hamster
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    I loved that hummus, can't remember what brand name it was, maybe someone else can remind us all, but very distinctive as I described it with pine nuts on the top, whole chickpeas at the bottom. I like it better than the supermarket own brand, I can just eat a tubful all in one go, not spread on anything, just large scoops of it, even though it is quite oily so I really shouldn't! It's definitely one of my binge foods when I get hold of it which is not very often anyway.
    Maybe it was too oily for you Puffin?
    I haven't tried the Lava one yet though.

  34. #34
    frugivorous aubergine's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Now is a good time to try the Kosher one they do in sainsbury's with the chickpeas at the bottom.

    Oh yes.

  35. #35
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Maybe it was LH, i dont really eat it that much these days though. Prefer the tesco reduced fat one.

  36. #36

    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Quote vegandrummersam View Post
    Now is a good time to try the Kosher one they do in sainsbury's with the chickpeas at the bottom.

    Oh yes.
    Eww that one's horrid!!
    Somerfield had some houmous in today.
    A friend brought some in that his Grandma had made, it was DELICIOUS!!
    Really crunchy and chunky and MMM!

  37. #37
    gorillagorilla Gorilla's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    i haven't had houmous for nearly two weeks - i think i'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms i used to buy the reduced fat ones but now i prefer organic ones because they're smoother and creamier. i had a really awful caramelised onion houmous from Asda a while back - it tasted like brown pickle had been stirred into it
    'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'

  38. #38
    driftingAway piggy's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Quote fiamma View Post
    I've given up putting garlic in mine, and just use a tin of chickpeas or other beans (cannellini and butter beans are good substitutes), a tablespoon of tahini, the juice of half a lemon or (more), a tablespoon of olive oil and some of the water the beans came in. I also sometimes chuck in some pumpkin seeds.
    i've also noticed that raw garlic is too strong a taste. i use powdered or dried garlic, and that works quite well. making it with chickpeas i cooked myself is also disgusting, and even worse if you use raw, soaked chickpeas, as some recipes suggest.

    i just make it by blending a can of chickpeas, some dried garlic and chilli, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and it's quite good. oh, and i sometimes add a bit of water to make it creamier.
    i can't get hold of any tahini though, so i don't know what that would taste like.

    Fiamma, do you use any particular brand of canned chickpeas?
    Last edited by piggy; Feb 27th, 2007 at 09:44 PM. Reason: bad grammar
    Piggy

  39. #39
    frugivorous aubergine's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Quote Troutina View Post
    Eww that one's horrid!!


    Ah well, more for me

  40. #40
    Punctuation !!'s Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    It's back in sainsbury's- my lemon and corriander craving has been well and truely satisfied

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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Piggy I normally use the Coop own brand (no GMO ingredients) if I'm buying tins, but recently I've been buying stuff in jars wherever possible. I can't say I've ever really noticed a difference between different brands in terms of taste though.

  42. #42
    Rentaghost Marrers's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    The Lava one which Sainsburys had was quite nice. I used to get this and some other nice brands of houmous from TFC - Turkish Food Centre - when I had to go there regularly for herbs (for my house rabbit - huge bunches of herbs and much cheaper than the supermarket).

    I am not a fan of the one with whole chickpeas in either. My local Sainsburys had almost the full range back in stock yesterday.

  43. #43
    VeganLiz
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    aggghhh!!! Only just seen this! My boyfriend calls me the hummus monster cos I eat it most days. Often get sainsburys ones - do try to get ones from infinity foods but when I work shifts it can be hard to get to infinity when it is open and I have a humus craving! Thankfully I have not been ill....

    But surely if there was salmonella it must have been cross contaminated with diary products?!

    Liz X

  44. #44
    frugivorous aubergine's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Quote VeganLiz View Post
    aggghhh!!! Only just seen this! My boyfriend calls me the hummus monster cos I eat it most days.
    That's no bad thing

    But surely if there was salmonella it must have been cross contaminated with diary products?!
    Salmonella contamination is usually from factory workers not washing their hands after using the toilet. The salmonella bacteria is present in our intestines.

  45. #45
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Don't panic, Liz - I don't think there have been any reports of people getting ill from this episode; the salmonella bugs were discovered in laboratory tests.

  46. #46
    Punctuation !!'s Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    i got ill from some, but i think that's because i left it out of the fridge for a bit...

  47. #47
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    Sorry to hear that!! Was it recently? I hope you didn't get salmonella poisoning, which sounds nasty.

  48. #48
    Punctuation !!'s Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    it was about a week before the warnings, and I don't think i was ill enough for it to be salmonella, because that's rather nasty, isn't it? I think it was due to my silly 'eating room temperature product' ideas..! I learnt my lesson!

  49. #49
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    that's rather nasty, isn't it?
    So they say - there is a description of the symptoms here:

    http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_ad...salmonella.htm

    I wouldn't have thought leaving it out of the fridge for an hour or two would cause problems but I might be wrong. Are you OK now?

    For the stout-hearted, hummus seems to be back in Waitrose now as well.

  50. #50
    gorillagorilla Gorilla's Avatar
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    Default Re: UK: Hummus/salmonella warning

    i had a really bad stomach bug a couple of weeks ago that was like those symptoms, but i don't think it was salmonella...
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