Salmonella Scare in Sabar Hummus

By Hamodia Staff

YERUSHALAYIM – Following a decision by the Sabar food company to remove a line of hummus products from supermarkets shelves due to a concern over salmonella, the Health Ministry said it was unable to detect any contamination.

An inspection team from the ministry that visited Sabar’s Kiryat Gat factory on Wednesday after the recall, found no irregularities, according to preliminary reports.

In the meantime, the company advised customers not to purchase its Abu Marwan hummus bearing the expiration date December 26, 2022.

Sabar said it suspects that tahini, which is used as a raw material in the making of hummus, was the source of the salmonella found in its products. But the ministry was not able to substantiate it in laboratory tests.

In addition, the Health Ministry said that Sabar regularly conducts tests for salmonella in the factory, and that over 200 tests were done in the last month.

Earlier this year, Strauss Group’s Elite chocolate factory recalled thousands of products after several samples of salmonella were discovered in the factory’s production line.

Production was suspended for four months while the Health Ministry ran a sanitary and technological audit, after which it was permitted to reopen.