Italy Recalls Hummus for Salmonella and Artichokes in Oil for Glass Fragments

In July 2026, the Ministry of Health issued a series of recall notices for various batches of hummus — the chickpea paste of Middle Eastern origin — marketed under several supermarket chains, all made at a Greek facility, due to possible contamination with Salmonella spp. in one of the ingredients used in its preparation. The products are sold in 200-gram packages with different batch numbers and expiration dates between September 8 and 20, 2026. In parallel, a supermarket chain recalled a batch of rustic artichokes from Puglia in sunflower oil, from a commercial brand, packaged in 280-gram glass jars, batch 158 R, due to possible presence of glass fragments — a physical risk, not microbiological, associated with container defects or filling process problems.

Hummus is a product of particular risk for Salmonella spp. because it combines raw or minimally processed ingredients — cooked chickpeas, tahini, spices — with a relatively neutral pH after cooking, which does not offer a natural antimicrobial barrier equivalent to that of a fermented or very acidic product. The fact that contamination originated in one of the ingredients used in its preparation, and not in the finished product, indicates a control failure in the raw materials supplier chain, a frequent blind spot when responsibility for microbiological quality is entirely delegated to the supplier without in-plant verification.