Effective Jan. 1, 2023 the federal government is enforcing a law that requires factories to label foods containing the seed as well as products made in a location where sesame is used.

Sesame is now the ninth major allergy in the U.S., with 1.6 million people being allergic. Sesame hides in places one would not expect and causes sometimes deadly reactions if consumed. Sesame is found in some protein bars, ice creams and salad dressings. 

Shayla Krogan ’25, a Lincoln High School student, recently tested allergic to sesame. She said, “It has been really hard finding food safe to eat. The labeling I have seen more recently has made grocery shopping much quicker.”

However, with the strict laws surrounding all the ingredients needing to be labeled, manufacturers now are finding it significantly cheaper to add sesame to food already made in factories with sesame. This alternative is found to be much cheaper than keeping the sesame-less food safely away from sesame seeds during manufacturing and packaging. 

As a result of this, there are fewer foods available than before for those with sesame allergies. Chain restaurants like Olive Garden and Chick-Fil-A are now adding sesame to foods they didn’t in the past. 

While legal, most do not approve of the ethics behind this. Kim Krogan, Shayla’s mom said, “We thought it would not be a huge change with Shayla being allergic to sesame, but recently more and more things have sesame added to them it has become really hard to find food to eat on the go.” 

This law was put into place to help keep those affected by the allergy safe. Ms. O’Rourke shares how this law could have economic benefits. She shares how “many people I know who are sensitive to rare ingredients tend to avoid all packaged products because they are too concerned about unlabelled cross-contamination. If the items are clearly labeled, sesame-sensitive customers might actually purchase MORE because now they can be assured that the food item is safe for them.”