We strive towards never using artificial preservatives like potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate in our products. As an alternative to artificial ingredients, we use High Pressure Processing (HPP) to maintain food safety. We believe it's best to use real food whenever possible. HPP helps us maintain freshness without the use of heat or chemical preservatives to extend shelf life.

The red specks are crushed red pepper, listed in the ingredients on all of our flavors. Some pepper flakes may be more visible from time to time -- not to worry, this is completely normal and safe to eat!

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 its final package, are introduced into a vessel and subjected to a high level of isostatic pressure (43,500-87,000psi) transmitted by water.

We use this intense pressure because it inactivates bacteria, yeasts, molds, and parasites present in food, extending the products shelf life and guaranteeing food safety.

High Pressure Processing supports nutritional properties of food without heat treatment and maintains our freshness and bold flavor.

Learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_2Wc1a0x7U

And here:
https://www.hiperbaric.com/en/hpp

We appreciate you being passionate about healthy foods just as much as we are!

It's not called out on our label (yet!), but the specific sunflower oil we use is expeller pressed high oleic sunflower oil, comprised of ~82% monounsaturated, ~9% polyunsaturated, and ~9% saturated fats.

Our oil contains heart-healthy omega 3s, and the least amount of polyunsaturated content (commonly thought of as "unhealthy" or "inflammatory"), even less than olive oil. Standard linoleic sunflower oil on the other hand has a drastically different composition than our high-oleic oil, which is why this distinction between the two is also important.

Additionally, we invest in expeller pressed oil, which uses a machine to extract the oil, rather than heat or solvents like hexane which can compromise nutritional antioxidant content.

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.

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!