A new food allergy law designed to prevent cross-contamination has instead prompted businesses to add traces of sesame flour to previously sesame-free products.
McDermott was baffled: Her little girl was allergic to sesame, but she was only eating foods she had always eaten safely.
In a twist few would have expected, however, many food companies have chosen to add small amounts of sesame flour to products that were previously sesame-free, instead of conducting the careful cleaning required for foods without sesame. Wendy’s had previously released a statement, saying: “We take food safety and allergen matters very seriously. … On our current national menu in the U.S., our premium and value buns contain sesame flour as an ingredient.”
Because companies are adding sesame in the form of flour, not seeds, the added allergen is invisible to the eye, making it more dangerous — especially when food is served in group settings, like schools and summer camps, where labels aren’t nearby, advocates say.
Chick-fil-A’s bread suppliers “are unable to guarantee with 100% certainty that their production lines for our white bun and multigrain brioche bun are sesame-free … even after intensified cleaning,” reads an email to consumers from the fast-food chain. Walmart, Target, Wonder, Nature’s Own, Sara Lee, Ballpark, Thomas Bagels, Franz Bakeries, Jack in the Box, Sonic, Pan-O-Gold and Culver’s now show sesame as a listed ingredient on the labels or allergen menus of some or all of their previously plain bread and/or bun products. Their press contacts either declined or did not respond to requests for comment.
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