Questions

The reason our hummus tastes so fresh is because we use fresh ingredients like cold-pressed lemon juice and fresh raw garlic. If you heat these ingredients, they won’t taste fresh anymore! So, unlike most brands who blend their hummus while the chickpeas are still hot, we cool the chickpeas and blend our hummus cold to keep the ingredients fresh.

We strive to use real food ingredients you’d find in your pantry and to avoid artificial ingredients. As an alternative to artificial ingredients, we rely on High Pressure Processing (HPP) to maintain food safety. HPP also helps us deliver our signature bold and fresh flavors without the use of heat pasteurization or artificial preservatives

Ithaca Hummus is made with simple ingredients. Our hummus does not contain stabilizers, binders, or emulsifiers. You may notice a slight separation in the product from time to time. Not to worry, it is not harmful. Simply stir and enjoy.

High Pressure Processing (HPP) is a cold pasteurization technique by which products, already sealed in the final package, are introduced into a vessel and subjected to a high level of isostatic pressure (up to 87.000 lbs. Of pressure) transmitted by water.

This intense pressure inactivates bacteria, yeast, mold and parasites present in food, extending shelf life and guaranteeing freshness and food safety.

High Pressure Processing also preserves the nutritional value, all without heat.

Learn more here: HPP – What is HPP?

 

We appreciate you being passionate about healthy foods and snacks just as much as we are! It’s not called out on our label, but the specific sunflower oil we use is the high-oleic variety which is comprised of ~82% monounsaturated, ~9% polyunsaturated, and ~9% saturated fats. The specific polyunsaturated fatty acid in our oil is linoleic acid which is one of the four types of Omega-6s. As you can see from the chart below, our oil lines up well with olive oil’s fatty acid make-up and actually comes in slightly below olive oils polyunsaturated content level. Standard linoleic sunflower on the other hand has a drastically different composition than high-oleic with a much greater(~69% vs ~9%) polyunsaturated fat, linoleic acid (Omega-6) content. There is sometimes a lack of distinction between the two types, but they are in fact very different. If a person has an opposition to oils high in Omega-6’s, our products contain one of the best possible oils in that aspect.

 

Instead of chemical preservatives or heat pasteurization, we choose to use real food ingredients. Cold-pressed lemon juice and vinegar are used to achieve food safe pH levels.

Yes, our containers and lids are made of BPA-free polypropylene (PP5) which is not only recyclable, but also reusable and dishwasher safe. Thank you for recycling or reusing our containers!

We recommend that you consume Ithaca Hummus by the expiration date marked on the side of the package. Once the package has been opened, we recommend that it be consumed within 7 days.

While we don’t recommend freezing Ithaca Hummus, we have customers that have reported positive results after freezing and thawing the product. If you choose to freeze Ithaca Hummus, you may notice slightly more separation after it is thawed. Not to worry, it is not harmful. This is because we don’t use any stabilizers, binders, or emulsifiers in our hummus. Simply stir and enjoy.

Yes, Ithaca Hummus is Kosher Pareve certified by Kof-K.

Ithaca hummus does contain tahini (sesame), and is labeled as an ingredient on our packaging. Our hummus does not contain eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, crustacean/shellfish, fish, soy, or wheat.