Sesame seed added to USA list of allergens
Recently, the United States passed the FASTER (Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research) Act. One result is that sesame is now the 9th priority allergen in the US. Previously, sesame was often ‘hidden’ in foodstuffs, making it difficult for sesame-allergic individuals to make safe purchasing choices.
It is estimated that 85 million people in the US suffer from food allergies or intolerances, of which 32 million may suffer life-threatening reactions and 1.6 million are reported to be allergic to sesame.
The US Food Allergen Labelling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) indicates that crustacean shellfish, fish, milk, egg, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and sulphur dioxide currently require plain-language labelling. Sesame has now been added to this list. It is the first time since 2006 that a new allergen has been added.
However, the addition of sesame seed is not the only significant outcome of the Act; it also requires the US Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue regular reports on scientific opportunities in food-allergy research that examines prevention, treatment and possible cures. It has also established and outlined a risk-based scientific process for the future identification and addition of new priority food allergens.
FACTS is your go-to partner for any allergen-related query allergen management, testing and labelling. For more information contact us.