On December 15, 2022, the U.S Food and Drug Administration published a notice to “Remind the Manufacturers of the Effective Date for Sesame as a Major Food Allergen” per the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act.
The scope of the document outlines the following points:
- Foods containing sesame shall comply with specific food allergen regulatory requirements, including labeling and manufacturing requirements;
- Sesame joins eight other major food allergens such as milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.
- Foods on retail shelves or distributed before 2023, need not be removed from the marketplace or relabeled;
- Manufacturers producing foods containing sesame shall declare a warning statement as an allergen.
All food business operators and manufacturers must comply with the above notice effective from January 01, 2023.
To view the complete document, check out the Food News Monitoring System and stay updated.