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Since the beginning of this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has included sesame in the list of major allergens, as part of the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research Act (FASTER Act) in the United States. Being included in this list of allergens means that products containing sesame will have to meet specific regulatory requirements, as well as being labelled and manufacturing processes will have to be changed.
This measure has been taken because of the increase in the number of people allergic to sesame in recent years. In the United States alone, 1.6 million people suffer from sesame allergy. In addition, another study found that it also affects 17% of children with food allergies. This decision will therefore be an important step forward for patients, as it will be much easier to identify which products actually contain sesame. Until now, it was sometimes labelled as tahini, spices or natural flavours.
How does sesame allergy manifest itself?
Sesame is also considered one of those superfoods because it provides numerous benefits to our organism, due to its high protein and lipid content. At the same time, however, it is also one of the most allergy-causing foods, which are revealed when the immune system reacts disproportionately to the proteins contained in sesame seeds.
The allergic reaction occurs because our antibodies detect the substances in this food as a harmful agent. Symptoms may include coughing, diarrhoea, hives, fainting, swelling, low blood pressure, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, breathing difficulties, itchy eyes and a feeling of tightness in the throat. Symptoms similar to any other allergic reaction.
We will see if this new measure lessens the impact and we will wait to see what this food is labelled and mentioned in Spain.