‘Check the label’: Dietitian reveals shocking truth about supermarket hummus

Hummus may be considered Australia’s most popular supermarket dip for its flavour and health benefits. But shoppers may be shocked to find out just how little of its main ingredient, chickpea, is in some of their favourite brands.

Dietitians Anna Morgan and Alex Parker, the pair behind the social media account The Biting Truth, have examined some of the popular brands sold at Coles, Woolies and Aldi.

The results were shocking, Parker tells nine.com.au

“A traditional hummus would pretty much be chickpeas, tahini, which is essentially ground sesame seeds, and then extra virgin olive oil, lemon, garlic, and a bit of salt and pepper,” she explained.

Not only did some popular brands have fewer chickpeas than expected, the dietitians also looked into oil type, amount and quality, which impacted the number of chickpeas used as well as potential health benefits.

The three items the pair examined were Obela Hommus Classic, Yumi’s Traditional Hommus and Deli Originals Fresh Traditional Style Hommus.

All three are made using seed oils, rather than olive oil − some more than most.

Although freshly made hummus only has a life span of around “three to five days”, Parker said.

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“I guess when you think about it, the amount of hummus people are actually probably consuming is going to only be maybe a couple of tablespoons, it’s not very much, so I think we need to take that into consideration,” she explained.

One of their top picks is Obela, which contains 71 per cent chickpeas and 13 per cent tahini, as well as canola oil. It costs between $4.50 and $5 for 220g.

Obela also has fewer calories than the two others, which Parker said is due to the recipe which included an increased number of chickpeas and less canola.

In second place is Yumi’s, with 66 per cent chickpeas. However instead of tahini being listed as its second ingredient, its canola oil. Yumi’s hummus costs $5 for a 200g tub.

And their third-best pick is Aldi’s Deli Originals, which contains 66 per cent chickpeas. Once again, oil is the second main ingredient in the form of vegetable oil, followed by tahini. Aldi’s hummus costs $2.29 for 200g.

Parker’s rule of thumb is that any hummus with more than 65 per cent chickpeas is a reasonable choice.

“Oil and tahini are important components of it, so it’s never going to have 100 per cent chickpeas,” she explained.

“I think it is important for shoppers to understand that the ingredients list is always going to start with what the product contains the most of, and we want it to be a high percentage, so check the label.

“So in the case of hummus, we want it to be chickpeas. If you’re looking at hummus and the first ingredient is oil, I would be putting it back.”