Frequently Asked Questions About Companies Intentionally Adding Sesame Flour to Products

Overall, implementation of the FASTER Act is going well with the notable exception of actions by the baking industry. Since sesame is found in hundreds of products ranging from salad dressings to protein bars and even candy, we have been delighted that most companies are complying with the labeling requirements of the new law. 

The most unanticipated, and negative outcome of the new law is the decision made by baking companies to turn their backs on the more than 1.6 million Americans allergic to sesame by intentionally adding sesame flour to products that previously did not contain the allergen to avoid the costs associated with cleaning their lines or utilizing other lines to bake non-sesame goods. 

As a result, previously safe retail-packaged baked good products sold in supermarkets and especially those sold to popular restaurants like Olive Garden (breadsticks) and Chick-fil-A (plain buns) are now off-limits to the sesame allergic community.

No, we did not and frankly, neither did the members of the American Bakers Association (ABA). Just a few months after the FASTER Act was signed into law, in July of 2021, the Association’s VP of Regulatory and Technical Services, Rasma Zvaners, and Meaghan Meyer, Senior Vice President of Food Safety and Quality, CraftMark Bakery, and Co-Chair of ABA's Food Technical Regulatory Affairs Professionals Group both agreed during this podcast that it shouldn’t be a problem for the bakers to comply with the new law. 

The following encouraging comments were made throughout the podcast. If you would like to listen on your own, see the timestamps at the end of each quote in the conversation.

“We understand that it is the right thing to do” (to comply with the FASTER Act). 8:09

“We understand that our consumers need it (sesame labeling) … and we have to adapt to it.” 8:50 

"We also know we can do it (fully clean the lines). We have the experience.” 10:00

“The good news is that we have time” (to comply with the law). 11:42

Conversation about how American baking companies can comply with the law. 14:20

The ABA also had a second podcast devoted to complying with the FASTER Act in March of 2022. As with the 2021 podcast, it does not raise issues related to not being able to comply with the law.
 

No, it is not. There are many baking companies that own and operate facilities in both Canada and the U.S. Sesame has been labeled in Canada since 1999, and baking companies complied with that nation’s law. If a company can operate a bakery in Toronto that cleans its lines for sesame seeds, then it should be able to do the same 287 miles away in Toledo. 

The American bakeries decided it would be cheaper and easier to add sesame flour to its products rather than follow the procedures in place in Canada.

The “sand in the beach” comparison is wrong because baking companies from across the world – like those operating in Canada and the EU – successfully clean their lines of sesame to comply with the labeling and food allergen control requirements in those countries. 

What is most infuriating is throughout the nearly three-year legislative process to build support and pass the FASTER Act is that at no point did the baking industry ever say they could not comply with the requirements of this law. Instead, they chose not to because adding sesame flour to products that do not contain sesame is a cheaper solution than doing the right thing and cleaning their lines or running a separate non-sesame line for plain baked goods.

We have been in touch with the American Bakers Association about this issue since May of 2022 and as recently as November of last year, we presented to them options and alternatives they could follow to comply with the law. While we are hoping they are stalling to add more time, there are no assurances that they will follow the law in the manner that was expected. In the interim, we are meeting with our Congressional allies and the FDA to seek a solution for our community.

First, if a baking company that you have used in the past is adding sesame to its products, please let the company know that this practice is unacceptable. You can reach out to them on their social media channels and send emails and letters to the company’s CEO. 

We would also encourage you to raise concerns with Congress about closing the “sesame loophole.” For those that would like to take action, you can click here. 

Lastly, if a baking company is complying with the intent of the FASTER Act, please thank them, and support them if possible. 

Yes – thanks to Spokin’s great work, you can see the list of companies using sesame-free facilities here.