Over the past decade, people across America have increasingly tended towards healthy foods. As the organic and gluten-free markets have grown, we have been asked many times if we are an organic hummus brand, and also if our hummus is gluten free.
Thankfully, we have good news on both those fronts (not all companies are organic hummus brands). Since HOPE was founded just six short years ago, our mission has been the creation of organic, gluten free hummus. We are proud to say that each of our hummus flavors has been thoroughly tested to ensure that we meet the highest standards of certification in both categories. And since we often get questions from our customers asking for information about the terms “organic” and “gluten free,” we thought we’d share some information here!
Before we delve into exactly what it all means, however, it is important to understand that not all hummus brands are organic, or gluten free, let alone vegan or kosher: Here at Hope, we are dedicated to making hummus that is good for you – so that you can be confident that with every bite you take, you are nourishing your body from the inside out!
What does “Organic” mean?
Organic foods are any foods grown and processed in adherence to specific federal guidelines about soil quality, pest and weed control, animal raising processes, and the use of additives. Organic produce is grown without the use most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, and any synthetic substance used to achieve a specific goal must be approved after an examination of its health effects on humans and animals. Organic multi-ingredient foods—such as HOPE Hummus!—must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients, and cannot contain any genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
The history of organic foods in the US began in the 1940s, as the farming industry started the extensive use of a class of chemical pesticides called DDTs. Due to their adverse health effects on both humans and animals, DDTs were banned in agricultural use by 1972. As chemical pesticides and fertilizers have grown in popularity, the organic food market has also grown, for foods that are certified to rely as much as possible on natural substances, as well as physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming practices.
HOPE Hummus is Certified Organic by the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA. This certification is widely respected as the most rigorous in the industry, and it guarantees that any product meeting USDA requirements are verified organic at every step between farm and store. As part of our certification, HOPE Foods conducts regular compliance assessments with the USDA to ensure that our organic hummus meets the highest standards of public health and safety.
What does “Gluten Free” mean?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat varieties, rye, barley and triticale. In everyday foods such as bread and pastas, it acts as a glue and holds foods together. Foods with no gluten are in demand mostly due to rising awareness of Celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disorder in which digesting gluten can cause damage to the small intestine. Celiac disease is estimated to affect 1 percent of people worldwide.
Fortunately, HOPE hummus is gluten free, because no ingredients, in any of our flavors, are derived from wheat. Additionally, there is no danger of cross-contamination from other food products because we concentrate solely on organic, gluten free hummus.
These are the basic ingredients of our hummus:
At HOPE we set out to make the highest-quality hummus on your grocery store shelf, and we ensure that it is always free of gluten, so that everyone can share in the health benefits of hummus. We are certified by the Gluten Free Certification Organization, or GFCO, a third-party certifier that audits and inspects all of our ingredients, products and processes.
Kosher and Vegan Hummus: We Do it All!
But that’s not all…we are kosher and vegan hummus – our products are not processed using any animal products. We are also certified kosher hummus. We go the extra mile by creating organic humus that is also gluten free, vegan and kosher, so that as many people as possible can enjoy our healthy, fresh flavors!
