Food manufacturers who deliberately add sesame to products and include the ingredient on labels are not violating a new federal food allergy law, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food safety advocacy group, had petitioned the FDA to halt an unintended consequence of the January law — more companies adding sesame to foods that didn’t have it before. But the agency denied the advocacy group’s request.
More than 1.6 million people in the U.S. are allergic to sesame, food allergy experts say. Food allergies can lead to serious, even deadly reactions.
Sesame can be found in obvious places, like sesame seeds on hamburger buns, but it is also a major ingredient in everything from protein bars to ice cream and is added to sauces and spice mixes.
Restaurant chains like Olive Garden, Chick-Fil-A and Wendy’s — as well as bread makers whose products are in grocery stores and schools — are adding sesame to their products. Producers say the new federal regulations to prevent cross-contamination are so stringent, that it’s easier to add sesame and note it on the label than to try to keep the ingredient out of other foods and away from equipment.