Hummus to remain at UC-Riverside

UC-Riverside reversed a controversial decision late last month to remove Sabra hummus from the school’s cafeteria.

Overruling dining executives, a university statement called the removal a “mistake” to take the hummus out of the cafeteria for political reasons.

“In trying to be responsive to student taste preferences, the original decision was made without proper consideration,” the statement said.

UC-Riverside was in hot water after pulling Sabra hummus from its cafeteria in response to protests from the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UC-Riverside. Despite pushback from the SJP, UC-Riverside maintains that students will have choices for Sabra hummus in their cafeteria.

In a letter sent to the campus-dining executives, Tina Matar, a student affiliated with SJP at UC-Riverside, wrote that the Strauss Group, which manufactures Sabra Hummus, has been “a voice of support for Israeli occupation through its ties with Israel’s military.”

After reviewing the letter, dining executives at the cafeteria granted a meeting with Martar’s organization and the dining executives later removed Sabra hummus because of the Israel Defense Force’s “history of severe human rights violations.”