Sesame has joined the list of the main food allergens defined by law, according to the Food and Drug Administration, the equivalent of ANVISA in the United States.
The change, which took effect on January 1, is a result of the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research Act, which was signed into law in April 2021.
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The FDA has been reviewing the possibility of placing sesame seeds on the list of major food allergens — which also includes milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy — for several years. Adding sesame to the list of major food allergens means that foods containing sesame will be subject to specific food allergen regulatory requirements, including those relating to labeling and manufacturing.
Sesame allergies affect people of all ages and can show up as a cough, itchy throat, vomiting, diarrhea, mouth rash, shortness of breath, wheezing and a drop in blood pressure, according to Dr. Robert Eitches, an allergist, immunologist and attending physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The FDA conducts inspections and sampling of food products to verify that major food allergens are properly labeled on products and to determine whether food facilities are preventing cross-contact with allergens, according to the agency’s website.
“What this means is that for the 1.6 million Americans with life-threatening sesame allergy, life gets better as of January 1, 2023,” said Jason Linde, senior vice president of Government and Community Affairs. from Food Allergy Research & Education, a large private funder of food allergy research.
“For years, (people) with a life-threatening sesame allergy had to look at the back of the label, call the manufacturer and try to find out,” he said. “If it was included, it was only included as a natural spice or flavor.” The new law “is a huge win for the food allergy community,” Linde said.
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