Salmonella suspicion: SPAR recalls batch of organic hummus "Natur*pur by NENI"

Health risks from salmonella

For inquiries, SPAR has set up a toll-free telephone hotline at 0800 / 22 11 20. Customers can contact the company directly via this hotline. SPAR has recently drawn attention to itself several times with product recalls in the food sector, with the range of affected items varying widely.

The exact background to the possible contamination – such as the production period, the facility, or the results of the laboratory tests conducted – was not specified in detail in the press release issued so far. There is also no indication of the distribution channel or whether the product was delivered beyond the domestic market.

Outstanding questions about the contamination

Food recalls due to suspected salmonella contamination are not uncommon in Austria. Authorities such as the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) and the responsible ministries publish warnings in such cases so that consumers can quickly identify affected products and remove them from circulation. Media outlets such as KURIER also regularly pick up on such recalls.

SPAR is one of the largest food retailers in Austria and, in addition to SPAR branches, also operates the EUROSPAR and INTERSPAR retail lines as well as the Maximarkt stores belonging to the group. The affected product is marketed under the private label "Natur*pur" in collaboration with the restaurateur Haya Molcho or her NENI brand.

What consumers should do

Consumers who have purchased the product with the stated best-before date should, as a precaution, neither consume it nor pass it on to others. Instead, it is recommended to bring the package – preferably in its original packaging – to a branch of the stated retail chains and return it there.

As of now, it is not known whether any illnesses have already occurred in connection with the recalled hummus. SPAR has so far not commented on exactly how many packages are affected by the recall or in which retail outlets the product was distributed. A statement from the producer was also not available at the time of the press release.