Hummus and other vegetable-based spreads

Description of product

Vegetable-based spreads contain protein derived from legumes such as soybeans or chickpeas. Sunflower seeds may also serve as a basis for some spreads. The boiled, finely ground legumes provide a spreadable basis to which various spices can be added.

• See also: soy milk, soy sauce, tofu, miso

Possible application of gene technology

Raw material soybeans:

• Soybeans: sold on the international market are almost always derived from genetically engineered plants. The United States, Argentina, and Brazil cultivate GM soybeans on a large scale. These countries export over 30 million tons of soy and soy products to the EU each year.
• Some food companies exclusively process non-GM soy. It is not technically possible, however, to completely segregate GM and non-GM soy at every step in the processing chain. Therefore, even soy material that is said to be "GM-free" typically contains small amounts of GM material. These traces may legally account for up to 0.9% of the total material.
• Traditional soy products like miso and tofu are usually made with specialized types of soybeans. These soybeans are grown, handled, and processed differently than bulk soy. Traces of GM soy should not be present in these products.

Labeling: soy ingredients in spreads must be labelled if they derive from GM soybeans.