The doctors at Asthma and Allergy Associates are enthused that the U.S. Senate passed The FASTER FOOD ACT.
According to the 12/9 media release from FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education):
The United States Senate unanimously passed the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act (S. 3451). This bill, like the bill that passed through the U.S. House of Representatives on November 17, would add sesame as the ninth major allergen.
“Sesame is the ninth most common food allergen. Sesame allergy is one of the fastest growing food allergens in the world. It’s unclear why sesame allergy is increasing. But, there’s no doubt that food allergy to sesame is hard to manage and the reactions can be life threatening,” says Dr. Soteres of Asthma and Allergy Associates.
“Broader recognition of ingredients in foods or possible contaminants is critical for keeping people safe from accidentally ingesting a food allergen. A growing number of Americans will develop an allergy to sesame in addition to other commonly recognized food allergens such as milk, egg and peanut. Accurate, specific food labeling can be achieved by food manufacturers. This has been mandated for the big five food allergens: egg, milk, wheat, soy and peanut for many years. However, reporting of sesame was not mandated and as a result many children and adults can consume this allergen with no knowledge that they were putting themselves at risk. It has taken years of work from Food Allergy Advocacy groups to achieve this. This is great news for the food allergy community“, says Dr. Webb
For more information on the importance of the FASTER Act, please visit: https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/why-we-need-faster-act