Hummus products at multiple grocery stores in Philadelphia were vandalized with stickers calling for a boycott of Israeli goods.
Three Acme Markets in Lower Merion Township in Pennsylvania had “Boycott Israeli Goods” stickers placed on their Sabra hummus products, a spokesperson for the company confirmed to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sabra is owned by PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, a conglomerate that started in Israel in 1939.
“The foundation of our Acme culture is courtesy, dignity and respect,” Acme said in a statement. “The vandalism that was committed on some of our products is an affront of that culture and the environment we wish to create for anyone walking through our doors.”
Acme confirmed the stores located in Narberth, Bala Cynwyd, and Bryn Mawr had stickers placed on their Sabra products, and said the stickers were “removed as quickly as possible.”
The Strauss Group has received criticism and backlash over the years from Palestinian supporters. The Israeli food company has supported the Golani Brigade, a part of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Additionally, the Israeli food company has partnered with Leket Israel, a food bank in Israel, to provide aid to farmers that border the Gaza Strip.
In November 2010, protesters from Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), a Palestinian group that seeks to boycott Israel, took part in a flash mob at the Fresh Grocer in Philadelphia as part of an effort to sway people from purchasing Sabra products.
Students from Princeton University, in New Jersey and DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, called for the schools to remove Sabra hummus from the dining halls.
Acme added in its statement that it was working with local law enforcement in order to “prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law,” according to the company’s statement.
In response to the incident at the Acme stores, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) posted a meme on X, formerly known as Twitter, slamming pro-Palestinian protesters for turning a blind eye to the rape of Israeli women and girls by Hamas but for protesting Sabra hummus in grocery stores.
Fetterman has been a vocal supporter of Israel in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack which left more than 1,400 people dead and more than 240 people taken as hostages. Most recently, Fetterman labeled a pro-Palestinian protest outside of a Jewish eatery in Philadelphia as being “pathetic.”