A new federal law requiring that sesame be listed as an allergen on food labels is having an unintended consequence: The number of products with the ingredient is increasing because of it. Food industry experts said the requirements are so stringent that many manufacturers, especially bakers, find it simpler and less expensive to add sesame to a product—and to label it—than to try to keep it away from other foods or equipment with sesame. As a result, several companies—including national restaurant chains like Olive Garden, Wendy’s, and Chick-fil-A and bread makers that stock grocery shelves and serve schools—are adding sesame to products that didn’t have it before, reports the AP.
While the practice is legal, consumers and advocates say it violates the spirit of the law aimed at making foods safer for people with allergies. "It was really exciting as a policy advocate and a mom to get these labels,” said Naomi Seiler, a consultant with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America whose 9-year-old daughter, Zoe, is allergic to sesame. "Instead, companies are intentionally adding the allergen to food." The new law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, requires that all foods made and sold in the US must be labeled if they contain sesame, which is now the nation's ninth major allergen. If the ingredients don't include sesame, companies must take steps to prevent the foods from coming in contact with any sesame, known as cross-contamination.
More than 1.6 million people in the US are allergic to sesame, some so severe that they need injections of epinephrine, a drug used to treat life-threatening reactions, and cases of sesame allergy have been rising in recent years. Still, food industry experts said the new requirements aren’t simple or practical. "It’s as if we’ve suddenly asked bakers to go to the beach and remove all the sand," said Nathan Mirdamadi, a consultant with Commercial Food Sanitation, which advises the industry about food safety. Some companies include statements on labels that say a food "may contain" a certain product or that the food is "produced in a facility" that also uses certain allergens.
story continues below
However, such statements are voluntary, not required, according to the FDA, and they do not absolve the company of requirements to prevent cross-contamination. Instead, some companies have taken a different approach. Officials at Olive Garden said that starting this week, the chain is adding "a minimal amount of sesame flour” to the company’s famous breadsticks “due to the potential for cross-contamination at the bakery." Chick-fil-A has changed its white bun and multigrain brioche buns to include sesame, while Wendy’s said the company has added sesame to its French toast sticks and buns. Although such actions don’t violate the law, the FDA "does not support" them, the agency said in a statement.
(More
sesame seeds stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
