Sesame Reaction Testimonial Form September 27, 2023

If you or a loved one has had a reaction to sesame in a product that was safe to consume before January 1, 2023, please submit a testimonial for use with lawmakers and the FDA to protect those with food allergies.

Name(required)

Product Name(required)

Product Category(required)

Bread

Buns

Rolls

Breading/Breadcrumbs

Other

If "other", please provide brief product description (ex. snack food, cracker, etc)

Date(s) of Exposure(required)

Location (U.S. state) of Exposure(required)

Had you or a loved one eaten the product safely before January 1, 2023?(required)

Yes

No

Don't know/Don't remember

not applicable

In the space below, please describe your/your loved one’s exposure to sesame including the product/commercial establishment that triggered the reaction, symptoms of the reaction, treatment needed to control the reaction, and any other pertinent information.
OR, please explain the impact that the addition of trace sesame has had on you and your family.

(Formatted box allows for as much text as you wish to provide.)

Testimony (required)

This testimony may be shared with the US Food and Drug Administration, legislators, and other national advocacy organizations for the purposes of making corrections and adjustments to the FASTER Act in support of those with sesame and other food allergies.

Thank you!

SUBMIT

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We Need YOU! Call to Action for Sesame Labeling December 20, 2018

 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Living with a sesame seed allergy (and any allergy outside of the Top 8) is challenging.  To get a sense of it, read Sesame: The 9th Food Allergen? originally published in Allergy & Asthma Today magazine.

 

With claims that sesame-derived products are healthier and our taste for international cuisine is on the rise, it’s no surprise that the prevalence of sesame allergies is increasing. And, like the peanut, allergic reactions to sesame can be severe.  The allergy is misunderstood by others who often incorrectly assume that if you can’t see sesame seeds on top of a food, that they aren’t inside either.  Sesame labeling is also a large part of the problem.  Sesame can be labeled in a number of challenging ways.  In addition to the long list of alternative names, sesame can be listed as “seasoning,” “spices,” or “natural flavoring.”  This makes it nearly impossible to know whether a product actually contains this allergen or not without calling manufacturers.  Additionally, manufacturers are not required to disclose the presence of sesame often citing proprietary reasons.

 

The FDA is finally considering a request to add sesame to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) requiring manufacturers to label for sesame as they currently do for the Top 8 allergens (peanut, milk, egg, tree nuts, wheat, fish, shellfish, and soy).   All of the national food allergy non-profits are weighing in to give supporting documentation and research, but the FDA needs to hear from you!

Please take a minute to report your experience and challenges to the FDA using this form below:

FDA Regulations – Sesame as Allergen in Foods

 

It only takes a minute or two, so please submit your comments today!  The FDA is welcoming comments only through Dec. 30, 2018.

 

**If you have emails from manufacturers or photos of labels where sesame is hidden under an alternative name or not listed at all, please submit these as attachments as they will be powerful examples of what consumers are facing.**

 

Keeping our fingers crossed…  Thank you for your support!

 

Advocacy: Sesame Seed Labeling September 7, 2017

Carol M. Highsmith [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Last week, I teamed up with Allergy & Asthma Network, a leading non-profit, to begin a discussion about adding sesame seeds to ingredient labels.  We met with committees on Capitol Hill who were receptive to our argument.  It’s a first step in a potentially long process – but a step in the right direction!

 

Sesame: the 9th Food Allergen? explains the rise in sesame allergy and the difficulty faced by those who are allergic.  When the Director of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Robert Wood spoke to WebMD in 2012, he believed sesame seed allergy was so prevalent that it had likely climbed to the 6th or 7th most common allergen in the U.S.

 

Without required labeling, sesame seeds can be masked under many different names.  They appear in both food as well as hygiene and beauty products.  There is a relationship between tree nut allergies and sesame seed allergy – those allergic to one are three times as likely to be allergic to the other.  But unlike nut allergies, sesame oil can cause potentially severe reactions for those who are allergic.

 

Currently, only the “Top 8” allergens are required to be explicitly labeled in the United States.  Those allergens are:

Dairy

Eggs

Soy

Fish

Shellfish

Peanuts

Tree Nuts

Wheat

Many other industrialized nations already label for sesame seeds including Canada, the European Union, Australia, and Israel.

 

I will keep you posted on new developments as we continue to speak to decision-makers on this and other key allergen issues.

FDA Petition: Help Warn FA Families of Ingredient Changes February 8, 2011

The FDA is considering a petition which would require food companies to display the advisory statement “Ingredient Information Has Changed” on the front of packaging when one or more of the 8 major food allergens has been added to their product (allergens which has not previously been included).

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This petition is open for the general public and it is encouraged that everyone leave comments as this has an impact on the FDA’s decision.   Go to http://www.regulations.gov and enter the docket number (FDA-2010-P-0578-0001) in the Enter Keyword or ID: search field.   You may also go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!searchResults;rpp=10;so=DESC;sb=postedDate;po=0;s=FDA-2010-P-0578-0001 and scroll to the bottom of the page to view the full  petition and make a comment. If you have any questions contact Dwayne Ratleff at dratleff@yahoo.com.

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Note:  It is not recommended that this potential regulation substitute for the continued need to check all food labels.  Food allergic families will always need to keep checking ingredient lists and manufacturing lines to ensure the safety of their FA family members.  This would just add another layer of defense against an inadvertent reaction.

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Please pass this information on to other food allergic families.   Thank you!