Allergen Fact Sheets provide one-stop shops for allergen information needs, especially designed for Adult Day Care and Child Nutrition program operators.
Food law mandates that major allergens be listed on food labels. Peanuts, milk, eggs, soy, wheat, tree nuts, fish and Crustacean shellfish (1-3) account for 90% of allergic reactions to foods.
The Big Eight
Although more than 160 foods can cause allergies, eight commonly encountered allergens account for 90% of allergy reactions: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans – known as “The Big Eight”.
Allergies to certain foods trigger an immune system response in which the body mistakenly believes the food to be harmful and fight it off – with adverse outcomes including respiratory, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular distress; for instance an allergy to fish could result in swelling of throat and face and difficulty swallowing as symptoms last for hours, perhaps necessitating medical assistance.
People with allergies must consume only food that does not contain the eight major allergens, reading labels carefully for signs of these ingredients and making sure not to come into contact with any during production or processing. In the US, The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 requires all packaged food items to include major allergens on their ingredient lists (please visit FDA’s website for more details) while Sesame has recently been added to this list as of January 1 2023.
Sesame
Sesame seeds can be an integral component of everything from hummus to baked goods, chips and vegetarian burgers – yet for individuals allergic to this seed contact can cause severe reactions including anaphylaxis. Sesamum indicum, the species most widely grown across Asia (with wild relatives present in Africa and India), serves as an integral staple food source in China, Japan, Sudan and Tanzania.
Allergy to sesame can result from contact with skin or mouth surfaces or from ingestion of products containing sesame. Common symptoms of sesame allergy include itching, swelling, hives and nausea; anaphylaxis can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical treatment.
Heat treatments such as blanching, boiling, autoclaving and roasting alter sesame protein profiles in ways that increase allergenicity [265]. Blanching, boiling, autoclaving and roasting change food-grade proteins’ structures or conformations and thus can modify immune reactions and alter antigenicity [265.].
Before FALCPA and FASTER Act came into force, many products that contained sesame could easily slip under the radar in ingredient lists, often appearing under names like benne, gingelly, gingelli oil, gomasio, til or teel, or halvah; or as sesame salt, sesame powder, sesame paste or tahini ingredient names. Traces of sesame could also exist if food products made on machinery that processes other allergenic foods; these would carry advisory statements such as “may contain” or “partially produced with.” To confirm sesame allergy it is recommended using both skin test extracts as serum IgE tests as oleosin can sometimes go undetected while commercial skin test extracts cannot detect.
Other Allergens
Allergies are immune system responses that cause symptoms in the nose, throat, eyes or skin when exposed to substances that usually do not pose any threats – called allergens – such as pollen, animal dander, dust mites, mold spores and medications (including insect venom and certain foods such as peanuts shellfish dairy wheat soybeans).
Food allergies can range from mild to life-threatening. To protect themselves, people who are sensitive to certain foods should get medically tested so they know which to avoid and when. Unfortunately, there is no cure for food allergies – but by staying away from offending items it may help stop allergic reactions from occurring.
Food businesses must disclose 14 foods on our allergen fact sheets: celery, cereals containing gluten, eggs, fish, milk, lupin mustard nuts (including peanuts and tree nuts), sesame soya soya as well as sulphur dioxide and sulphites by law; however many individuals can be allergic to other food or ingredients.
Some individuals may be allergic to tomatoes and citrus fruits while others are sensitive to spices; such food sensitivities should be identified by a medical provider or clinical immunology/allergy specialist for diagnosis and management purposes. Food businesses can provide allergy information via product labels or menus; our technical guidance (Opens in new window) outlines this process for both prepacked and non-prepacked food businesses.
FAQ
Food allergies can be life-threatening and those living with them should always read labels. Federal law mandates that food manufacturers list major allergens used in a product either in its ingredients list or through “Contains:”. In addition, its common name or usual designation must also be stated after its name in parentheses.
These fact sheets created in collaboration with the Institute of Child Nutrition provide information about nine major allergens including sesame. These make great resources to share with adults or children with food allergies.
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