Bipartisan Bill Elevates Sesame Allergies to National Attention

WASHINGTON, DC – Current food labels generally identify when a product contains a major allergen or the potential of those allergens to be present at a processing site. Milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, shellfish, wheat, soy, and fish are listed as the eight most common food allergies. Now, sesame allergies are becoming more common among U.S. children and adults, with new research establishing it as the ninth most common type of food allergy. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), food allergies affect around 5 percent of adults and 8 percent of children. Unfortunately for those who suffer from less common food allergies like sesame, that information is not usually included clearly on the food label, until now. By voice vote on Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act introduced last year by Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-6). If signed into law, the FASTER Act would update allergen labeling laws, increase research, expand patient experience data to include food allergies, and study the economic costs of food allergies.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)