Biden Signs Sesame into Law as Ninth Major Food Allergen, Following Tree Nuts, Peanuts

The United States Government has classified sesame as the ninth major food allergen in a bipartisan effort to address the increase in certain deadly allergies.

President Joe Biden signed The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research (Faster) Act on Friday after it received bipartisan support, adding sesame to the list of the “Big Nine,” which includes peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, dairy, eggs, and wheat. Together those products account for 90 percent of food allergy reactions, according to The Washington Post.

Currently, around 1.6 million Americans have sesame allergies. Over the past 20 years, life-threatening childhood food allergies increased by approximately 4 percent per year to afflict 32 million Americans, according to research by Northwestern University, McKinsey & Company, and nonprofit Food Allergy Research and Education.

Stanford University Clinical Associate Professor Tina Sindher, who does allergy and asthma research, told The Washington Post that the rise in sesame allergies could be attributed to Americans embracing more international foods, including hummus and a number of Asian dishes.

“It’s added to so many things now. We knew sesame was an emerging top allergen, and now the larger world is finally recognizing it. It’s another one that’s hard to treat and reactions can be very severe,” she said.

The new law will require foods that contain sesame to be clearly labelled by Jan. 2023 and the Department of Health and Human Services will be required to prioritize regular reviews of promising food allergy treatments and research that will be disseminated in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The guidelines set the stage for how school lunch and food assistance programs are run, and often inform manufacturers who want to take part in the $100 billion programs.

Studies cited by The Washington Post estimate that food allergies cost American families a total of $24.8 billion annually, with medical bills, missed work, and needing to buy special food.

Sindher said that the Five D’s could help explain the increase in allergies: diet – delaying allergens does more harm than good; dogs – dogs in the home can reduce the likelihood of allergies in babies and children; vitamin D — deficiency makes children more likely to suffer from allergies; dry skin – dry skin can lead to food sensitivities; and dirt — babies exposed to dirt have lower incidences of food allergies.

FARE CEO Lisa Gable told The Washington Post that the law would also set a risk-based scientific process and framework for establishing additional allergens.

“The reason that’s important is currently there is no standard about how many people have to have a severe reaction to have it added to a label. There will be a system for doctors and patients to clearly understand how something rises on a prevalence level.”

Do you or anyone in your family have a sesame allergy? How have you found food labelling for the allergen? Let us know in the comments section!

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