## Why Did Rte Houmous Contain Salmonella?

Tahini (ground sesame seed paste) contaminated with Salmonella had been used to produce houmous. 

## Step 2 Why Did Tahini Contain Salmonella?

The tahini had been produced by a third-party supplier from sesame seeds which had not been sufficiently heat treated. 

## Step 3 Why Was Tahini Insufficiently Processed?

The best quality tahini is slow roasted to optimise flavour. The supplier of this product had reduced processing time to command the highest market value. 

## Step 4 Why Was The Risk Of Contamination Not Identified?

The houmous manufacturer was unaware of the process used to produce tahini. 

## Step 5 Why Was The Humous Manufacturer Unaware Of The Risk?

The tahini had been purchased from an unapproved supplier and the manufacturer did not appreciate that heat treatment was a critical control. 

 

## Best Practice: