Why You Should Double Check “Safe Food” Ingredients If You’re Allergic to Sesame

Currently, sesame is considered one of the main allergens, which must be indicated on ingredient labels. This should make life easier for people with sesame allergies, but the Washington Post reports that some food manufacturers are doing the opposite, adding sesame to foods that didn’t have it before.

The argument that some of them have made – which I’m sure made sense to someone, somewhere – is that if they can’t label their products as sesame-free, they might as well add sesame seeds to avoid the possibility selling a product without sesame that accidentally contains sesame. The FDA said the agency “does not support” the move, but also that it is not illegal.

The new law, dubbed the FASTER Act , came into effect on January 1, 2023. Shortly before this, the industry publication Food Manufacturing reported that many manufacturers find the new requirements “uneasy and impractical”. If sesame is not included in the product, the manufacturer must ensure that sesame does not enter the product.

Labels indicating that a product is processed in the same facility as products containing sesame are not sufficient to protect the company from a recall if sesame is in the product.

The Washington Post reports that Olive Garden, Wendy’s and Dave’s Killer Bread have added sesame flour to their products to comply with the law, as have some brands that make store-bought buns such as Target, Walmart and Kroger. Food Manufacturing says Chick-Fil-A is also doing this. (On the other hand, Jimmy John’s now has a sesame-free menu, and McDonald’s says it keeps its sesame buns separate from non-sesame products and doesn’t add sesame to products that previously didn’t.)

What this means for you: If you’re allergic to sesame, you (sigh) need to check ingredient labels on foods you previously thought were safe. This includes foods you’ve never seen on the ingredients label: Food Manufacturing reports that Pan-O-Gold Baking Company, which supplies school canteens, is among the companies adding sesame flour to their products.