President Biden Signs Law Making Sesame the Ninth Major Food Allergen

US President Biden has signed into a law The FASTER Act, a food allergy labelling bill requiring that sesame be labelled on all packaged foods beginning January. 1, 2023.  The bill (H.R. 1202), expands the definition of major food allergen to specifically include sesame, making it the ninth major food allergen (joining peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, dairy, eggs, and wheat) to be added to the Food Allergen Labelling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) since 2004.  

Under the new law, food manufacturers would be required to have “plain-language labelling” of sesame on packaged food, which is often unclearly labelled as “natural flavours” or “natural spices.”  As part of the law, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must prioritize and report on information related to food allergy research (including treatment and prevention methods, and new cures) and data collection activities to identify additional major food allergens.  The legislation also establishes a risk-based scientific process and framework for establishing additional allergens covered by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.