Why You Need to Double Check Your ‘Safe Food’ Ingredients If You’re Allergic to Sesame

Sesame is now considered to be one of the major allergens that need to appear on ingredients labels. This should make life easier for people who are allergic to sesame, but the Washington Post reports that some food makers are doing the opposite—adding sesame to products that previously had none.

The reasoning that some of them gave—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 so they can avoid the possibility of selling a sesame-free product that accidentally contains sesame. The FDA has said that the agency “does not support” this move, but also that it is not illegal.

The new law, called the FASTER Act, took effect as of Jan. 1, 2023. Shortly before that, an industry publication called Food Manufacturing reported that many manufacturers see the new requirements as “not simple or practical.” If the ingredients of a product don’t include sesame, the maker is required to take steps to make sure that sesame stays away from the product.

Labels that indicate the item is processed in the same facility as sesame-containing foods aren’t enough to protect the company from recalls if some sesame were to find its way into the product.

The Washington Post reports that Olive Garden, Wendy’s, and Dave’s Killer Bread have all added sesame flour to their products to comply with the law, as have some brands that make store-bought buns like those in Target, Walmart, and Kroger. Food Manufacturing reports that Chick-Fil-A is doing so, as well. (On the other hand, Jimmy John’s now has a sesame-free menu, and McDonald’s says it is keeping its sesame-seed buns separate from non-sesame-containing items, and not adding sesame to products that did not previously contain it.)

What this means for you: If you have a sesame allergy, you (sigh) need to check the ingredients labels on products you previously thought of as your safe foods. This includes foods where you never saw an ingredient label: Food Manufacturing reports that Pan-O-Gold Baking Company, which supplies school cafeterias, is among the companies that added sesame flour to their products.