第1909期:US Agency Permits Sesame to be Added to Foods

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently said that by law food makers are permitted to add sesame to their products. They also must identify sesame content in their foods on product packaging. Sesame is the seed of the sesamum or benne plant. It is used to make oil and the seeds themselves are often used on bread or baked goods. The seeds come in black and white colors. Sesame is used in many foods to add a nutty flavor or some crunch. But the American non-profit group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), says about 1.6 million people are allergic to the seeds. Someone who is allergic can get very sick after eating the seeds. People with the allergy usually learn to stay away from traditional foods that contain sesame.

美国食品和药物管理局（FDA）最近表示，根据法律，食品制造商可以在其产品中添加芝麻。 他们还必须在产品包装上标明食品中的芝麻含量。芝麻是芝麻或芝麻植物的种子。 它用于制造油，种子本身通常用于面包或烘焙食品。 种子有黑色和白色。芝麻用于许多食品中以增加坚果味或松脆感。但美国非营利组织公共利益科学中心 (CSPI) 表示，约有 160 万人对这些种子过敏。 过敏的人吃了种子后可能会病得很重。 患有过敏症的人通常会学会远离含有芝麻的传统食物。

The CSPI is protesting to the FDA about a law that went into effect in January. The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act, known as FASTER, listed sesame as a major allergen requiring identification on packaging for the first time.↳ Some food companies made changes to their production centers in reaction to the new law. Some cut sesame use completely. Others, however, decided to add sesame to products that did not usually contain it. As long as they identified the sesame on the food packaging, they were obeying the law fully. The CSPI and other organizations argue that adding sesame to foods that did not contain it in the past limits food choices for allergic people.

CSPI 就 1 月份生效的一项法律向 FDA 提出抗议。《食品过敏安全、治疗、教育和研究法案》（FASTER）首次将芝麻列为主要过敏原，需要在包装上进行标识。为了应对新法律，一些食品公司对其生产中心进行了调整。 有的完全切芝麻。 然而，其他人决定在通常不含芝麻的产品中添加芝麻。 只要他们识别出食品包装上有芝麻，就完全遵守了法律。CSPI 和其他组织认为，在过去不含芝麻的食物中添加芝麻限制了过敏人群的食物选择。

Some food companies say it is too hard to prevent sesame from getting into some products, or it is too costly to change their production centers. It is easier to add sesame and identify it legally. Some restaurants are also adding sesame to their foods and noting it on menus or meal listings in order to meet the requirements of the food law. Robert Earl is a food safety advocate. He said the practice will put people with food allergies in danger of getting sick. “It puts our community at greater risk,” he said. Earl added that food companies and restaurants adding sesame to products reduces food choices.

一些食品公司表示，很难阻止芝麻进入某些产品，或者改变生产中心的成本太高。 添加芝麻更容易合法识别。一些餐馆还在食物中添加芝麻，并在菜单或餐单上注明，以满足食品法的要求。罗伯特·厄尔 (Robert Earl) 是一位食品安全倡导者。 他说这种做法将使食物过敏的人面临生病的危险。 “这使我们的社区面临更大的风险，”他说。 厄尔补充说，食品公司和餐馆在产品中添加芝麻会减少食物的选择。

Earl said his organization – Food Allergy Research and Education – has received a number of complaints from people who said they got sick by eating formerly “safe” products. Ruchi Gupta is a children’s doctor at Northwestern University. She is director of the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma research there. Gupta called the FDA’s decision “disappointing,” and noted that the food company and restaurant changes are permitted by law. However, she said she hoped the FDA would have “come out in a way to try to discourage” putting sesame in unusual products. Robert Califf leads the Food and Drug Administration. In a message posted online in 2023, he wrote about companies adding sesame to their foods. He called it “a practice with an outcome we do not support.” He said it does not break any rule but that it “limits options for consumers who are allergic to sesame.”

厄尔说，他的组织——食物过敏研究和教育——收到了许多人们的投诉，他们说他们因为吃了以前“安全”的产品而生病了。鲁奇·古普塔 (Ruchi Gupta) 是西北大学的儿童医生。 她是那里食物过敏和哮喘研究中心的主任。 古普塔称 FDA 的决定“令人失望”，并指出食品公司和餐厅的改变是法律允许的。 然而，她表示，她希望 FDA 能够“采取某种方式阻止”在不寻常的产品中添加芝麻。罗伯特·卡利夫 (Robert Califf) 领导食品和药物管理局。 在 2023 年在线发布的一条消息中，他写到了一些公司在食品中添加芝麻的情况。 他称其为“我们不支持这种做法的结果”。 他表示，这并没有违反任何规则，但它“限制了对芝麻过敏的消费者的选择”。

He also noted that consumers should “check the label every time you buy a food product – even if you have eaten it before and didn’t have an allergic reaction.” The F.D.A. also said companies cannot use language like “may contain sesame” if the product does not contain it. Peter Lurie heads the CSPI. He said he hoped the FDA’s recent statements would send a message to food companies. He said “it’s on the companies to act responsibly,” if the FDA is not going to force them to make changes.

他还指出，消费者应该“每次购买食品时检查标签——即使你以前吃过它并且没有过敏反应。”FDA 还表示，如果产品不含芝麻，公司就不能使用“可能含有芝麻”之类的语言。Peter Lurie 是 CSPI 的负责人。 他说，他希望 FDA 最近的声明能够向食品公司传达一个信息。 他说，如果 FDA 不强迫他们做出改变，“公司就有责任采取负责任的行动”。