Hummus on toast
Hummus on crackers
Hummus and vegetables crudities
It's a no-brainer and great addition to any plant-based pregnancy for it's source of protein, fat and iron. But is it safe to eat during pregnancy? 




Hummus means chickpeas in Arabic with historians describing a very similar dish to what we eat today being consumed in Cairo in the 13th Century.  It has relatively simple ingredients including:

- Chickpeas
- Tahini (made from sesame seeds)
- Water and/or olive oil
- Cumin
- Salt

Looks pretty harmless, right?

Wrong! The Food Standards Australia New Zealand recently updated their advice on food safety in pregnant women and... hummus is off the list.

The problem, you ask? 

It's Tahini's fault. 
Salmonella (nasty bacteria that causes food poisoning) and Tahini love each other. 

Salmonella can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever and headache and in rare cases may trigger miscarriage.

Despite this type of bacteria being associated with raw meats and animal foods, the soaking of sesame seeds prior to roasting and blending.

Please remember that all food carry a risk during pregnancy but an infection caused by Salmonella is series and can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever and headache and in rare cases may trigger miscarriage.



In a nutshell, it's best to avoid hummus during pregnancy as there has been multiple reports of Salmonella poisoning and recalls of tahini containing products overseas in Europe and Syria, in 2021 in America and Canada. There has been limited reports in Australia of Salmonella poisoning caused by Tahini products however the FSANZ recommends not consuming this product when pregnant.
 

Your takeaway

What is hummus?