Former FDA Officials

Sesame

sesame

As of January 1, 2023, FDA began requiring that labels of foods containing sesame to declare sesame as an allergen. That means that there are now 9 major allergens that must be declared on food labels. These allergens are:

  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Fish
  • Crustacean shellfish
  • Tree nuts
  • Peanuts
  • Wheat
  • Soybeans
  • Sesame

Allergens must be declared either in the ingredient list such as in the following example:

  • Ingredients: Rice, Water, Sugar, Whey (milk), Sesame Seeds.

or in a Contains statement as in the following example:

  • Ingredients: Rice, Water, Sugar, Whey, Sesame Seeds.
  • Contains: Milk, Sesame.

Note that if a contains statement is used, then it must list all allergens in the food even if the allergen is already listed in the ingredient list. So, in the above example, the contains statement must include sesame even though sesame is already listed in the ingredient list.

If the sesame-containing food was already in US commerce before 2023 (for example, products that were already on the store shelves before 2023), the food may continue to be sold or distributed without relabeling it to declare sesame as an allergen.

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Richard Chiang worked for the FDA for 13 years beginning as a field investigator and entry reviewer and later worked at the FDA’s headquarters Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)

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