Chickpea shortage means price of hummus soars

THE price of houmous has soared with some supermarket brands nearly 40% pricier than 2017.

The popular dip is costing more due to a hike in the price of its ingredients, according to industry experts.

A 310g pot of supermarket houmous is now £1.47 on average – 33p more expensive than January 2017, and an increase of 38%.

There’s a global shortage of chickpeas, a key ingredient of houmous, which has pushed up costs.

“Chickpea prices increased during 2017 and remain high,” said Tasneem Backhouse, joint managing director at EHL Ingredients.

“Demand is strong from every market and currently there isn’t enough supply to go around. This is driven by poor crops in some of the main producing origin nations over the past 12 months.”

The price of popular brand Me Too! has gone up by 12p for a 250g pot. But the makers say the price rises have been down to the supermarkets.

“We have a quality product which we believe is worth paying more for. However, we do need to strike a balance which ensures we are competitively priced and makes us accessible to as many consumers as possible,” said founder Ramon Hazan.

“We would not want to lose customers as a result of retail price inflation.”

The hike has been criticised by Pam Gilmour, food journalist and blogger with Glasgow Food Geek.

“It’s a particularly cynical move by retailers,” she said, “and it’s a shame for people who are trying to be a bit more health conscious.

“We should be encouraging people to have a balanced diet. Making it ever more expensive to buy nourishing food is not helping.

“But I am a big fan of making this kind of thing at home. You will be able to produce a much larger volume of houmous that usually lasts at least a couple of weeks.”