Get All Access for $5/mo

When Is Hummus Not Hummus? When Regulators Say So. Sabra, the popular hummus producer, is pushing the Food and Drug Administration to set a definition for the dip.

By Kate Taylor

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

What makes hummus, hummus? Sabra is pushing the Food and Drug Administration to find out.

The largest hummus producer in the U.S. is tired of non-chickpea-heavy knockoffs passing themselves off as hummus. So, Sabra is petitioning the FDA to define hummus as predominantly comprised of chickpeas and no less than 5 percent tahini.

"A food item that is not made of chickpeas… is not hummus," said Ronen Zohar, Sabra's CEO, in a statement. "As the category leader, we have introduced hummus to the market; we are driving continued adoption rates and we do see it as our responsibility to support the growing community of hummus lovers by protecting the purity of hummus in the marketplace."

Related: EU Wants U.S. to Stop Using European Cheese Names

The FDA has established standards of identity for a range of other popular U.S. condiments and dips, including peanut butter, ketchup, mayonnaise and cream cheese. However, it often takes a boost in popularity and mainstream acceptance for the government to get involved in defining what makes a snack a snack.

Another key player in snack-based government intervention is certain producers' hopes to keep competitors with "inauthentic" products out of the game. After a legal dispute with Fage yogurt, a British court ruled that Chobani could not label its products "Greek yogurt" in the U.K., because its yogurt is made in the U.S., unlike Fage yogurt. The EU has also gotten involved in food identity battles, as European trade officials have argued that cheese labels such as Gorgonzola, Parmesan and Feta should be reserved for European use.

Related: Chobani Can't Be Marketed as 'Greek Yogurt' in the U.K.

Kate Taylor

Reporter

Kate Taylor is a reporter at Business Insider. She was previously a reporter at Entrepreneur. Get in touch with tips and feedback on Twitter at @Kate_H_Taylor. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Side Hustle

The Side Hustle He Started in His College Apartment Turned Into a $70,000-a-Month Income Stream — Then Earned Nearly $2 Million Last Year

Kyle Morrand and his college roommates loved playing retro video games — and the pastime would help launch his career.

Growing a Business

How to Determine The Ideal Length of Your Marketing Emails Your Customers Will Actually Read

Wondering how long your marketing emails should be? Here's what consumers say — so you can send them exactly what they like.

Business News

A Former Corporate Lawyer Now Makes Six Figures on YouTube — Here's How She Does It

Here are the secrets to starting and growing a successful YouTube channel, according to a YouTuber with millions of subscribers.

Business News

Y Combinator Helped Launch Reddit, Airbnb and Dropbox. Here's What I Learned From Its Free Startup School.

The famed startup accelerator offers a free course on building a business — and answers five pressing questions for founders.