I read an article by Fox 9 out of Minneapolis on how restaurants are having to adapt in unexpected ways to the new FDA regulations regarding adding sesame to the top allergens list. The article talks about how some food manufacturers are adding sesame into products that did not previously contain sesame so that they are not required under federal law to adhere to their new guidelines on limiting cross-contamination. They specifically interviewed the owner of an allergen-safe café in a Minneapolis suburb who talked about how she now must monitor all the products she buys to see if they now contain sesame even though they previously haven’t.
I think that the FDA will most likely need to set stricter regulations in regards to producers adding sesame into products solely for the reason that they won’t need to follow the new cross-contamination guidelines. Adding sesame to products that haven’t had it before may cause people who are allergic to have reactions to the same products they always purchase and eat because these companies are adding sesame without mentioning that they are doing it. People with allergies often trust certain brands and if these brands are now adding sesame into products that haven’t previously had it, consumers should be warned and told to check all food labels once again to ensure they are not eating products with allergens in them.
Photo from Food Safety Works.