Any guesses? This common ingredient will join major food US allergy list

Sesame On US Allergy List: The FDA has been reviewing whether to put sesame seeds on the major food allergens list or not for several years, the report said.

Sesame will join the list of major food allergens defined by law, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from January 1 following a change which comes as a result of the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research Act (FASTER Act) signed into law in April 2021, CNN reported.

Sesame Allergy List: Foods containing sesame will be subject to food allergen regulatory requirements in US. (Unsplash)

The FDA has been reviewing whether to put sesame seeds on the major food allergens list or not for several years, the report said. The allergens list includes milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans, among others. This means that foods containing sesame will be subject to specific food allergen regulatory requirements which will include labeling and manufacturing changes.

“What it means is, for the 1.6 million Americans with life-threatening sesame allergy, that life gets better starting January 1, 2023,” Jason Linde, senior vice president of government and community affairs at Food Allergy Research & Education told CNN.

“For years, (people) with a life-threatening sesame allergy would have to look at the back of the label, call the manufacturer and try to figure it out,” Jason Linde adding, “If it was included, it was just included as a natural spice or flavor.”

Earlier this month the FDA had said, “We remind consumers that foods already in interstate commerce before 2023, including those on retail shelves, do not need to be removed from the marketplace or relabeled to declare sesame as an allergen."