Is hummus ultra-processed?
Usually group 3, and the short ingredients list is why.
Usually not. Most supermarket hummus is group 3: chickpeas, tahini, oil, lemon, garlic and salt is a group 1 food with group 2 ingredients added, which is the definition of processed rather than ultra-processed.
What would move it
Some tubs, particularly the cheapest and the flavoured ones, add preservatives such as potassium sorbate, thickeners, or flavourings. Any of those places it in group 4.
- A short list with nothing you would not have in a kitchen: group 3.
- Potassium sorbate, xanthan gum, flavouring or an emulsifier: group 4.
- Reduced-fat versions are more likely to be group 4, because removing fat usually means adding something to replace what it was doing.
Why it surprises people
Hummus feels processed because it comes in a plastic tub with a date on it. Packaging is not the test. A tub of hummus and a jar of passata are both group 3 for the same reason: the original food is still the thing you are eating.
Working this out from a receipt is harder than from a packet, because a till prints about twenty characters of product name and no ingredients list. That is the problem Bagged exists to solve, and how a receipt is structured explains why it is the hard part.
Common questions
- Is reduced-fat hummus ultra-processed?
- More often than the full-fat version. Fat carries texture, so removing it usually means adding a thickener or a stabiliser, and either one is a group 4 marker.
- Is shop-bought hummus different from homemade?
- Only if the shop-bought one contains something a kitchen would not. Homemade is group 3, and so is most shop-bought.
One photo of a receipt answers this for your own shopping.
Bagged reads every line and reports what share of your food spend was ultra-processed, and which items it was.
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