Companies Are Adding Sesame to Foods. It's an Unintended Consequence of a New Allergen Label Law

new federal law requiring that sesame be listed as an allergen on food labels is having unintended consequences—increasing the number of products with the ingredient.

“It was really exciting as a policy advocate and a mom to get these labels,” said Naomi Seiler, a consultant with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America whose 9-year-old daughter, Zoe, is allergic to sesame. “Instead, companies are intentionally adding the allergen to food.” More than 1.6 million people in the U.S. are allergic to sesame, some so severe that they need injections of epinephrine, a drug used to treat life-threatening reactions. Cases of sesame allergy have been rising in recent years along with a growing number of foods that contain the ingredient, said Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a pediatrician and director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research at Northwestern University.

Some companies include statements on labels that say a food “may contain” a certain product or that the food is “produced in a facility” that also uses certain allergens. However, such statements are voluntary, not required, according to the FDA, and they do not absolve the company of requirements to prevent cross-contamination.

United States Bakery, which operates Franz Family Bakeries in California and the Northwest, notified customers in March that they would add a small amount of sesame flour to all hamburger and hot dog buns and rolls “to mitigate the risk of any adverse reactions to sesame products.” Some large companies previously have added other allergens to products and updated their labels. In 2016, Kellogg’s added traces of peanut flour to some cookies and crackers, prompting protests.

These companies can do better.

Just corporations doing what they do best.

Malaysia Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Malaysia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

EU regulators reportedly asked game companies how Microsoft’s Activision deal could play out | VGCEU regulators have reportedly sent a 91-page questionnaire to game companies asking them how they think Microsoft's acquisition of Activision could play out if it went through. Let it happen. Let’s gaur Interesting angle A lot of Activision's competitors would prefer it if Activision was no longer multi-platform It would reduce their competition & therefore while it may benefit them as corporations, it could harm consumers
Source: VGC_News - 🏆 125. / 51 Read more »

'My boss is spying on me': The rise in companies recording employees' every moveThere is an increasingly slippery use of bossware technology Employers are delegating serious decisions to algorithms – such as recruitment, promotions and sometimes even sackings 🔎 Big Read oh that's what they are calling spyware now a days, you know once there is a hole it's not just your boss that could go in.
Source: i newspaper - 🏆 8. / 89 Read more »

New Year new strikes: All of UK's rail companies to stage walk out on January 5BREAKING: Travel chaos isn’t going to be left behind in 2022 after a top train driver’s union has announced a fresh strike on January 5. If you weren't a Daily Mail-owned paper you would be reporting more accurately that rail chaos - all over the UK and especially in the north - is the direct result of the last twelve years of Conservatives government's appalling privatisation agenda.
Source: MetroUK - 🏆 13. / 82 Read more »

UK companies ‘banging their heads against a post-Brexit bureaucratic brick wall’Many UK businesses said this year saw a fall-off in exports to the EU because of the barriers to trade created by them Trade and Cooperation Agreement
Source: i newspaper - 🏆 8. / 89 Read more »