Hummus is a gift from the Middle East linking us to the taste of places like Israel and Jordan. As vegan cuisine, it can be eaten by all religions in a metropolitan city like Tel Aviv with Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist & Druze. Currently, the world’s largest consumers of hummus are the United States and the Middle East. But how healthy are all these ingredients used? And would glyphosate be found in your hummus? When you are looking to purchase hummus from a company, the quality of ingredients vary. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you investigations like best & worst chips & salsa & safer cookware, now join us as we investigate hummus and rank each of the 70+ brands by ingredients at the very end.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon and was fact-checked by Rebecca Elizabeth Sherrick Harks, Registered Nurse.
Table of Contents
Hummus is a Popular American Side Dish
Thanks to amazing new hummus companies, today, you can buy anything from avocado hummus to red velvet flavored hummus if you know where to look.
Hummus is now stocked in as many grocery store deli’s as the crowd-favorite, potato salad.
And why not?
Hummus is an incredibly versatile food: you can dip tortilla chips in it, you can put it on a sandwich, it can be used as a dipper for your favorite fruits and veggies, put on a salad, and as a favorite bread & bagel spread. It’s full of nutrition, gluten-free, and can be used for weight loss.
For those of us hiding under a rock, what is hummus?
Generally speaking, hummus is a thick spread created using a combination of chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, tahini, and lemon.
Delicious hummus with pita chips on the side is a perfect blend of creamy goodness.
What’s All The Hype About Hummus?
We all know that hummus is good for you – that’s a given.
But why?
It turns out that real, fresh hummus is an amazing source of B Vitamins, protein, and fiber as well as phosphorous, folate, and iron.
In a single serving, you receive 7% of your recommended daily value for dietary fiber.
A whole cup of hummus contains 14.5 grams of protein, and in fact, may help to stabilize blood sugar levels for diabetics and those looking to lose weight.
Hummus is also helpful to vegans and vegetarians who are looking to replace protein and other vitamins in their diet.
When making the switch to healthier and better foods, snack options can be some of the hardest to change.
It’s easy to pick up a heavily processed snack, a bag of chips, or a succumb to the wonders of a vending machine.
Even after switching to fresher snacks like fruits, veggies, and hummus, there are still things to consider. Not all “healthy” foods are created equal.
These companies will vary in ingredients.
Potential of Higher Rates of Pesticides Like Glyphosate Inside Hummus
Chickpeas are mostly farmed in the Pacific Northwest.
But this is a crop that harvests late in the season, so there are some complications as climates are changing.
Because of that two problems are starting to arise: (1) the use of glyphosate as a desiccant to speed up harvest AND (2) a move to replace toxic old tobacco farms with chickpea farms.
Canadian farmers were the first ones to desiccate legumes with glyphosate in North America.
This practice started in Scotland and made it’s way to Canada and it was encouraged by Monsanto.
Spraying glyphosate on the crop at the end of harvest sped up the time it took to dry out the crop and became a way to save the crop from damage.
Chickpeas are legumes so this is relevant to hummus.
When glyphosate is sprayed at the end of the harvest, it’s likely to contain trace amounts by the time the consumer eats them in their hummus.
And more chemicals could be present in hummus coming from a particular region–Virgina.
As harvest seasons are getting squeezed and demand for hummus is rising, certain companies sought refuge in land that recently laid fallow from disuse.
As Americans become more health conscious, they are quitting smoking and now tobacco farmers are needing something else to plant.
So the hummus industry swooped into Virginia and turned old tobacco fields into chickpea fields.
The problem with this idea is the potential toxic problems left behind because of the chemical pesticides used in tobacco production.
Giving Hummus to Your Dog May Cause a Problem
I know we all love hummus, but did you know that giving hummus to your dog could make them sick?
According to experts, the garlic and lemon juice inside could cause them a range of problems.
Garlic and onions belong to a group of foods that contain thiosulfate which causes oxidative damage to red blood cells resulting in hemolytic anemia.
Symptoms of this form of anemia include pale mucous membranes, weakness, jaundice, dark urine, and rapid breathing.
When dogs have garlic toxicity they get symptoms like an upset stomach, vomit, diarrhea, loss of appetite, dehydration, and depression.
Death is very rare, but can happen.
Lemon juice can also cause digestive problems in dogs.
Chickpeas on their own would be a great thing for dogs to eat, but if you are also looking for more information on safe dog food, check our dog food investigation here.
How You Spell Hummus? There’s Disagreement. Also Some Problematic Ingredients.
Deciphering what’s in hummus can be almost as difficult as deciding which way is the right way to spell humus hommos houmous hommus hummus.
(FYI, wikipedia says they’re all right).
The ingredients may all seem healthy, but there are some things to be concerned with.
If you go shopping and pay close attention to the ingredients before you buy, you’ll notice some patterns.
There are additives, preservatives, problematic oils, hidden ingredients, and pesticide residue can be lurking about.
But here’s are the details of what we looked at in this investigation.
Stick around to the end and we will rank all the brands via ingredients.
Objectionable Oils Inside Hummus
Traditional hummus is made with tahini, a paste from ground-up sesame seeds.
Many store-bought hummus brands contains tahini, in addition to added oils.
Canola oil (rapeseed oil) and soybean were found in some of the brands.
These oils are ones to avoid because they’re not only likely derived from GMOs, unless verified as GMO free, but canola oil is produced using solvents.
These solvents leave toxic residues behind in the oil that we then ingest.
Even if you choose an organic product, which prohibits the use of such solvents in the oils used and doesn’t allow the use of GMO crops sprayed with synthetic pesticides, the omega 6s are something to be cautious of.
Why?
We all have heard that omega 3 fatty acids are good for us, but it’s about balance.
The body needs an equal balance of omega 3s and omega 6s.
Vegetable oils are high in omega 6s.
Consuming too high of an amount of omega 6 fatty acids can lead to a number of health problems, such as inflammation, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and even cancer.
Problematic Preservatives Inside Hummus
Homemade hummus usually has lemon juice to act as a preservative.
In the store-bought brands, there were three main preservatives I found: sodium benzoate, phosphoric acid, & potassium sorbate.
There are some problems with each of them.
Fortunately, there are plenty of brands to choose from that do not use these preservatives.
Sodium benzoate, for one, can cause hives, allergic reactions, and asthma attacks to people who are extremely sensitive.
But that’s not the worst part.
What’s really the problem with sodium benzoate is the mixture of sodium benzoate, citric acid, and ascorbic acid, which combined creates benzene, a deadly carcinogen.
Another swap out for lemon juice is phosphoric acid.
Moving on to the third preservative, potassium sorbate.
This is linked to DNA damage, allergic reactions, and nausea.
The Hidden Ingredients Inside Hummus
Like many foods, manufactured hummus often contains ingredients such as “natural flavor” and “spices.” Sounds delicious, right?
Not so much.
In the US, the precise requirements for what can be called a “natural flavor,” an “artificial flavor,” or “spices” are laid out in Section 501.22 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the results of which you may find surprising. Spoiler alert…it’s vague and doesn’t sound appetizing.
Artificial Flavors
- The term “artificial flavor” or “artificial flavoring” refers to any substance used to add flavor that’s not from from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products, including these substances
Spices
- The term “spice” or “spices” refers to any aromatic vegetable substance in the whole, broken, or ground form, except for things that are traditionally regarded as foods, like as onions, garlic and celery. Onions, celery, and garlic have an important role in seasoning food rather than nutritional, that are as they are stated, and from which no portion of any volatile oil or other flavoring principle has been removed.
- The problem is that the term “spices” doesn’t really tell you very much about the contents of the hummus as they don’t actually list which spices or combination of it contains. It’s intentionally vague.
- Spices include the following: Allspice, Anise, Basil, Bay leaves, Caraway seed, Cardamon, Celery seed, Chervil, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Cumin seed, Dill seed, Fennel seed, Fenugreek, Ginger, Horseradish, Mace, Marjoram, Mustard flour, Nutmeg, Oregano, Paprika, Parsley, Pepper, black; Pepper, white; Pepper, red; Rosemary, Saffron, Sage, Savory, Star aniseed, Tarragon, Thyme, Turmeric. But paprika, turmeric, and saffron or other spices which are also colors, shall be declared as spice and coloring unless declared by their common or usual name.
Natural Flavor
- The term “natural flavor” or “natural flavoring” means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating, or enzymolysis, that contains the flavoring of a spice, fruit, fruit juice, vegetable, vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf, similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products serves for flavoring only. This is also vague information that doesn’t really tell you what’s in your food.
So basically, all three types of ingredients have to be there primarily for flavoring only.
“Spices” are whole or ground pieces of plants; “natural flavors” are extracted from plants or animals and “artificial flavors” are everything else.
Environmental Working Group Study on Hummus Brands
The Environmental Working Group just released a study looking at the amount of glyphosate in hummus & chickpea brands in the United States.
In order to accomplish this, the EWG purchased hummus in Washington, D.C., New York City and San Francisco metropolitan areas, from the following stores: Aldi, Costco, Giant, Harris Teeter, Safeway, ShopRite, Target, Trader Joes, Walmart and Whole Foods grocery stores. These products were purchased between January and March of 20202.
Tests were conducted by Anresco Laboratories of San Francisco, which is accredited by the State of California, meaning they are a reputable lab.
The brands that were the most disappointing were:
- Harris Teeter Fresh Foods Market Organic Chickpeas (17,718 ppb)
- Harris Teeter Fresh Foods Market Dry Chickpeas (4,858 ppb)
- Whole Foods Market Original Hummus (2,379 ppb)
- Harris Teeter Fresh Foods Market Traditional Artisian Hummus (1,618 ppb)
- Harris Teeter Fresh Foods Market Traditional Artisian Hummus (1,290 ppb)
- Sabra Classic Hummus (743 ppb)
- Sabra Classic Hummus (476 ppb)
We’ve included the rest of the lab results with the investigation results below.
Mamavation’s Investigation of Hummus Ingredients
Mamavation reviewed about 75 hummus & chickpea brands based on ingredients depicted on the label. Brands that did not label their ingredients online were not included in this list. We also added the EWG study results to the brands below.
Bad Hummus Brands
These brands contain lower quality oils such as soybean oil or canola oil. Both of these oils are likely to be made from GMOs, unless organic. May contain additional additives such as xanthan gum or harsh preservatives like potassium sorbate. Inserts in red lettering are from the EWG glyphosate study. We listed any brand above 100 ppb of glyphosate here. If a brand had poor ingredients and glyphosate lower than 100 ppb, we pulled it in here as well.
- Athenos Original Hummus (no labs)
- Cava Traditional Hummus (224 ppb glyphosate)
- Garden Fresh Gourmet Original Hummus (no labs)
- Hannah’s Food Hommus Duo/Classic And Roasted Pepper (no labs)
- Harris Teeter Fresh Foods Market Traditional Artisan Hummus (1,618 ppb glyphosate)
- Harris Teeter Fresh Foods Market Traditional Artisan Hummus (1,290 ppb glyphosate)
- Harris Teeter Fresh Foods Market Organic Dry Chickpeas (17,718 ppb glyphosate)
- Harris Teeter Fresh Foods Market Dry Chickpeas (4,858 & 3,363 ppb glyphosate)
- Holyland Hummus With Roasted Red Pepper (no labs)
- Ithaca Craft Hummus Classic (144 ppb glyphosate)
- Nasoya Super Hummus Classic Original (no labs)
- Otria (Marzetti) Classic Hummus Veggie Dip (no labs)
- Peloponenese Hummus Spread (no labs)
- Publix Deli Classic Hummus (no labs)
- Sabra Classic Hummus (743, 476, 285, & 110 ppb glyphosate)
- Sabra Garlic Roasted Hummus (130 ppb glyphosate)
- Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus (349 ppb glyphosate)
- Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (115 ppb glyphosate)
- Sadaf Traditional Hummus (no labs)
- Sadaf Mix Dip Mix (no labs)
- Simple Truth Organic Original Organic Hummus (110 ppb glyphosate)
- Sonny & Joe’s Hummus Spread (no labs)
- Strauss Humus Strauss Achla Hummus (no labs)
- Trader Joes Classic Hummus (104 ppb glyphosate)
- Wegmans Hummus (no labs)
- Whole Foods Market Original Hummus (2,379 & 442 ppb glyphosate)
- Whole Foods Market Original Organic Hummus (419 ppb, ND & ND glyphosate)
- Wild Garden Traditional Hummus Dip (no labs)
Better Hummus Brands
These brands are non-GMO but may have other issues. Chickpeas are a legume, so that means they are more likely to be desiccated with glyphosate at the end of the harvest by farmers. This means they may contain trace amounts of glyphosate because close to the harvest would be when they did the spraying. But we commend them on using better ingredients in general. Inserts in red lettering are from the EWG glyphosate study. We listed any brand below 100 ppb of glyphosate here. If a brand had better ingredients and glyphosate residue, it went here as well.
- Abraham’s Traditional-Style Hummus (no labs)
- Boar’s Head Traditional Hummus (53 ppb glyphosate)
- Bush’s Canned Chickpeas (51 ppb glyphosate)
- Bob’s Red Mill Stone Ground Garbanzo Bean Flour (62 ppb glyphosate)
- Casbah Hummus Chickpea Dip (no labs)
- Cedar’s Organic Original Hummus (44 ppb & ND glyphosate)
- Cool Hummus Light Garlic Hummus (no labs)
- Dakota’s Pride Canned Chickpeas (76 ppb glyphosate)
- Delighted by Hummus Vanilla Bean Hummus (no labs)
- Dr. Hummus Classic Hummus (no labs)
- Eat Well Embrace Life Roasted Garlic Hummus (no labs)
- Fresh Nature Green Chickpea Hummus (no labs)
- Go-Go Dipperz Traditional Flavor Hummus (no labs)
- Good & Gather (Target Brand) Roasted Garlic Hummus (8 ppb glyphosate)
- Goya Dry Chickpeas (8 & 6 ppb glyphosate)
- Haig’s Classic Hummus (no labs)
- Hannah Classic Organic Hummus (42 ppb glyphosate)
- Harris Teeter Organics Dry Chickpeas (18 ppb glyphosate)
- Harris Teeter Organics Canned Chickpeas (9 ppb glyphosate)
- Ithaca Cold-Crafted Fresh Lemon Garlic Hummus (WARNING: other flavor tested at 144 ppb)
- Joseph’s Mediterranean Foods Original Recipe Hummus (no labs)
- Lantana Roasted Garlic Hummus (no labs)
- Lilly’s Classic Hummus (no labs)
- Little Salad Bar – Aldi Brand – Original Hummus (no labs)
- Majestic Garlic Original Hummus (no labs)
- Marketside (Walmart brand) Classic Hummus (11 ppb)
- Nature’s Healthy Gourmet Original Hummus (no labs)
- Nature’s Promise Original Hummus (18 ppb glyphosate)
- Park Street Deli Hummus Classic (7 ppb glyphosate)
- Root’s Original Hummus (no labs)
- Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Organic Hummus (83 ppb glyphosate)
- Sam’s Club Member’s Mark Classic Hummus (no labs)
- ShopRite Original Hummus (19 ppb glyphosate)
- ShopRite Roasted Pinenut Hummus (15 ppb glyphosate)
- Simple Truth Organic Garlic Hummus (8 ppb glyphosate)
- Simply Nature Organic Garlic Hummus (43 ppb glyphosate)
- Sprouts Original Hummus (no labs)
- Tale of Inspiration (Giant Store Brand) Original Hummus (74 & 67 ppb glyphosate)
- The Farm at the Red Hill Jalapeno Hummus (no labs)
- Tribe Classic Hummus (11 ppb glyphosate)
- Tribe Vanilla Bean Hummus (40 ppb glyphosate)
- Whole Foods Market Roasted Garlic Hummus (10 ppb glyphosate)
- Whole Foods Market Bulk Dry Chickpeas (9 ppb glyphosate)
Best Hummus Brands
These brands are organic, non-GMO, and have better ingredients. We’ve linked as many of them up to Amazon for your convenience in purchasing. In terms of the EWG study, the brands tested here fell below the detection limit of 5 ppb glyphosate. Those brands were marked in red. ND means “non-detection” of glyphosate.
- Blue Moose of Boulder Organic Original Hummus (no labs)
- Emerald Valley Kitchen Organic Hummus (no labs)
- Fontaine Santé (Fountain of Life) Organic Roasted Garlic (no labs)
- Goya Canned Chickpeas (ND glyphosate) (Click here to purchase)
- Hanover Canned Chickpeas (ND glyphosate)
- Hope Original Recipe Hummus (no labs)
- Hummustir Classic-Style Organic Hummus (no labs)
- Inspired Organics Organic Original Hummus (no labs)
- Kirkland (Costco) Original Hummus (no labs)
- Kirkland (Costco) Single Serving Organic Hummus (no labs)
- Nature’s Promise Original Hummus (no labs)
- O’ Organics Organic Traditional Hummus (ND glyphosate)
- Oasis Natural Original Classic Hummus (no labs)
- Pita Pal’s Organic Line – Original Flavor Hummus (no labs)
- Simple Truth Organic Canned Chickpeas (ND glyphosate)
- Simply Balanced (Target Brand) Original Organic Hummus (no labs)
- Sunflower Hummus Organic Spinach And Roasted Garlic Hummus (no labs)
- Trader Joe’s Organic Hummus (no labs)
- The Hummus Guy Organic Original Hummus (no labs)
- The Perfect Pita Traditional Hummus (ND glyphosate)
- Tribe’s Organic Line – Organic Roasted Garlic Hummus (no labs)
- Yorgo’s Organic Original Hummus (no labs)
Best & Worst Shower Head Filters for Ridding Water of Toxins 2020
Hi there! I eat a lot of chickpeas. Id love to see the report of which brands were tested by the ewg and rsults. I dont see it online. Can you direct me to that info as you seem to have found more brand informati9n than me. Thanks!
Are you a dietitian? Start your business online with KnowYourFood.in to grab the opportunity of attracting more clients besides generate more leads worldwide. Know Your Food provides many incredible services that can help to boost your business and increase brand awareness. They give you proper professional support for both sales and technical.
https://www.knowyourfood.in/homepage
I recently cooked Harris Teeter Organic Chickpeas in my instant pot. I noticed there is a Harris Teeter Fresh Market Organic Dried Chickpeas and a regular HT Org. Dry Chickpeas. What is the difference? I had a package that is purple on the top with a blue stripe and 16oz. Also if something is labeled organic shouldn’t it be safer than the nonorganic. I would think with the high numbers that it does not deserve to be labled organic. I want to make sure I am getting the right thing because the one is like 17000 x worse. WOW!!
Leah,
I have also visited Israel, and we found their food to be so delicious! I am looking forward to going back. Thank you for all you do. My family is truly grateful for the wonderful work you do!
what does “no labs” mean?
It just means we didn’t have lab work on them to share. We included all the brands from the industry. This is an update to include the latest EWG study. Sorry if that part was coNfusing.
Can you do a glyphosate test for Be Still Organic Farms- their black beans, and garbanzo beans please.
Hi Leah if No Labs means you didn’t have lab work on them to share…then why are some in the bad list / better list /or best list? How was that determined?
Thank you for sharing.
Also wondering this!
I’m wondering this too…Leah could you please explain? Thanks!!
What does the label “no labs” indicate one the best group?
I put above
We really love hummus, and I agree that it’s a good source of nutrition. Thank you so much, Leah, for detailing what safe and what’s not! I’m definitely going to remember this while shopping my groceries. And I’ll be trying to make my own at home more often!
Thanks for stopping by!
Wegman’s does offer an organic hummus, I wonder if it has unwanted ingredients.
i know it’s four years later, but i just started checking my entire diet for hidden glyphosate and wondered the same thing. the hummus i buy from Wegman’s lists olive oil and lemon juice as ingredients (no canola or soybean or harsh preservatives). it also says it’s a product of Canada. so is it the assumption of glyphosate being used to dry the beans (despite an absence of testing) that has it in the “worst” category? or something else? i wish it had been included in testing, since Wegmans is spreading across the US and their ingredients seemed good.
Thank you! I love all that you do and share! 🙏❤️
Thank you Jenifer!!
Sorry meant ‘Hala’
Well said Sara 🎩
Thank you!
Giving hummus to your dog could make them sick.
https://theimpossible-quiz.co/
I like your a lot and rely on the useful info in it, but as a Lebanese canadian I am a bit let down/ Hummus literally means chickpea in arabic, and israel coopted it (as it did other things). It’s a Lebanese dish and Lebanon is the culinary flagship of the middle east. The simple reason is that we have a mediterranean country lush in water, rain and underground water, not to mention sunshine and warmth (but not scorching heat). The fact that we have that and not deserts makes Lebanon the culinary flagship of the middle east, not to mention a haven for democracy and diversity. I’m sure you didn’t mean anything bad by it but saying that people for multiple religions eat something sounds off colour to a Lebanese person. It’s like saying “blacks and whites eat pizza in the US”. In Lebanon we view sectarianism (segregating people by religion) the way Americans view racism. In my country we recognize that people are primarily defined by culture, not religion. And if you’re thinking civil war, that project never worked out in Lebanon, instead we became the flagship for pluralism and true religious diversity. Enjoy your hummus! And incidentally, it’s quite easy to make from canned chickpeas or even dry ones, mixed with tehini. Tehini is Arabic for paste, and it’s sesame paste. These ingredients make hummus a truly lovely vegan protein fix.
I completely agree! And yes it doesn’t take anything to make hummus any novice can make it. The store bought ones come in plastic containers which, as mamavation has reported, it can contain toxins that is passed into the food.
I haven’t been to Lebanon, but I have been to Israel a couple of times. But thank you for filling me in on things I did not understand. We ate mostly vegan cuisine when we were over there. I was there with other vegans so it was really cool being able to see the country through their eyes. Incredible food. But I grew up in Glendale, California with the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia. Hummus and tahini were very common, but so was the meat! Thanks for stopping by!
Well said!
I was thinking the same thing when I read that. Definitely Lebanese origin! Glad the Israelis also enjoy it 🙂 Excellent blog Leah, as always.