CSPI Petition re: FDA requiring sesame to be labeled as a major allergen

The Center for Science in the Public Interest asking the Food and Drug Administration to require that sesame be disclosed on food labels in the same manner as milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy are disclosed. In 2004, when Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, those "Big 8" allergens were understood to account for about 90 percent of allergic reactions caused by food. But numerous food-allergy experts cited by CSPI consider sesame to be an emerging cause of severe allergy, affecting an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people in the United States. And for those allergic to sesame, the ingredient can trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis.