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FDA considers food labeling requirements for sesame products
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The FDA is requesting information regarding the prevalence of sesame allergies in the United States to determine whether the product should be mandatorily declared as an allergen on food labels. Currently, only the eight major food allergens — milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans — are required to be declared on food products by federal law.
This action is in response to a citizen’s petition to the FDA from both physicians and consumer advocates to consider labeling sesame on food labels.
“Specifically, we would like to hear from epidemiologists, nutritionists, allergy researchers and physicians concerning their clinical experiences and relevant findings,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in a statement. “We are also looking for feedback from the food industry and consumers to help us gain a more complete understanding of the risks and to learn more about the potential impact of any future regulatory action that could include new disclosure requirements for sesame. All of this will help inform our next steps.”
He added that each year, thousands of Americans experience life-threatening food-related reactions, and approximately 20 people die from these events.
“In some cases, such reactions occur despite a careful reading of packaged food labels by conscientious consumers. To me, that’s unacceptable,” he said.
According to Gottlieb, when the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act was enacted in 2004, the eight major food allergens were responsible for 90% of all serious food allergies in the U.S. However, these trends are shifting, with several studies suggesting the prevalence of sesame allergies is comparable to that of soy and fish allergies.
Food labeling becomes a particular concern for those with sesame allergy because “natural flavors” or “spices” may include small amounts of the allergen, and other food products with ingredients like tahini do not explicitly state the ingredient is made from sesame seeds.
“Through all these efforts, our goal is to help Americans with food allergies better navigate the products they find in the marketplace, by arming them with reliable information that allows them to prevent dangerous allergic reactions while ensuring labeling requirements,” Gottlieb said. “Gaining a better understanding of the state of the science on food allergies and how these allergens impact consumers, particularly sesame allergies, is an important and necessary first step toward our consideration of new policies that could require labeling for sesame allergies.” – by Katherine Bortz
Disclosure: Gottlieb reports no relevant financial disclosures.