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Sesame Seeds Everywhere: How an Allergy Solution Backfired
In 2022, sesame seeds officially joined the FDA’s list of major allergens, requiring food makers to disclose if their products contain or might have come in contact with sesame. It seemed like a straightforward fix for the million-plus Americans allergic to sesame—until things got complicated.
BREEFX ✨
November 13, 2024
By 2022, sesame was officially added to the FDA’s major allergens list, aimed at protecting millions of consumers.
Because sesame seeds are so tiny and easily spread, keeping sesame out of foods in shared facilities proved difficult and expensive.
To comply with FDA rules, food producers faced high costs to create separate processing or guarantee a zero-sesame policy.
Rather than shoulder the cost of strict separation, many companies simply added a trace amount of sesame to their foods and labeled it an ingredient. Problem solved…unless you’re allergic.
This approach allowed them to avoid FDA penalties without significant expenses. While technically compliant, this solution poses risks for sesame-allergic consumers who may not expect the ingredient in common foods.
With more foods containing sesame, the risk of accidental exposure increased, a frustrating development for those the regulation aimed to protect.
The sesame labeling issue has sparked debates on allergen policies, with calls for better solutions that protect both consumers and producers.
What seemed like a win for allergen safety turned into a tricky situation, leaving sesame-allergic individuals more vulnerable than ever.
Stay tuned,
BREEFX ✨
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