Sesame: The Newest FDA Allergen Most Restaurants Miss
In 2023, sesame became the 9th major FDA food allergen under the FASTER Act. Three years later, many restaurants still don't realize their hamburger buns, hummus, and Asian dressings require allergen disclosure.
Why Sesame Was Added
The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act was signed in April 2021 and took effect January 1, 2023. It added sesame to the list of major allergens that must be declared on packaged food labels, joining milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.
Sesame allergies affect an estimated 1.6 million Americans. Reactions can be severe — sesame is one of the allergens most associated with anaphylaxis. Unlike peanuts or shellfish, which most people know to ask about, sesame often goes unmentioned because it wasn't historically on the "big allergen" list.
Where Sesame Hides in Restaurant Menus
Sesame isn't just the visible seeds on top of a bun. It appears in many forms across typical restaurant menus:
Bread and Baked Goods
- Hamburger and sandwich buns (sesame seeds on top OR sesame flour in dough)
- Bagels (everything bagels, sesame bagels)
- Breadsticks, flatbreads, naan
- Crackers and breadcrumbs
- Some pizza dough recipes
Sauces and Dressings
- Tahini (ground sesame paste — the base of hummus)
- Asian sesame dressing and vinaigrette
- Sesame oil (used in stir-fry, finishing, marinades)
- Some teriyaki glazes
- Gochujang and certain Korean sauces
- Some BBQ sauce recipes
Middle Eastern and Mediterranean
- Hummus (contains tahini)
- Baba ganoush (often contains tahini)
- Falafel (may contain sesame seeds or be served with tahini)
- Halvah (sesame-based dessert)
- Za'atar spice blend (contains sesame seeds)
Asian Cuisine
- Sesame chicken, sesame beef
- Sesame oil as finishing oil on soups, noodles, stir-fry
- Sushi rolls with sesame seed coating
- Dan dan noodles (sesame paste base)
- Some ramen broths
- Korean bibimbap (sesame oil, sesame seed garnish)
Snacks and Sides
- Granola and energy bars
- Trail mix
- Some french fry seasonings
- Sesame-crusted items (tuna, chicken, tofu)
- Edamame prepared with sesame oil
The Intentional Addition Problem
When the FASTER Act passed, some baking companies made a controversial choice: rather than investing in allergen-free production lines, they intentionally added sesame flour to products that previously didn't contain sesame. This allows them to label "contains sesame" rather than managing cross-contact risks.
For restaurants, this means a bread product you've been using for years might now contain sesame when it didn't before. Check your supplier ingredient lists regularly — formulations have changed since 2023.
Why This Matters for Your Menu
Under SB-68, restaurants must disclose all 9 major allergens — including sesame. Many restaurants that audit their menus for the "obvious 8" forget to check for sesame because it wasn't on the list until recently.
A burger listed as containing "wheat, milk, eggs" but missing the sesame disclosure for the bun is incomplete. A salad with Asian dressing that doesn't mention sesame is a liability risk.
The fix is simple: audit every menu item specifically for sesame. Check bread, sauces, dressings, marinades, and any dish with Asian or Mediterranean influence.
How to Audit for Sesame
- Check all bread and buns — Read the ingredient label from your supplier. Look for "sesame," "sesame flour," or "sesame seeds."
- Check sauces and dressings — Any Asian-inspired sauce, tahini-based dip, or sesame oil used in cooking or finishing.
- Check spice blends — Za'atar, everything bagel seasoning, some dukkah blends, and certain Asian seasoning mixes contain sesame.
- Check garnishes — Sesame seeds as a topping on salads, bowls, sushi, or baked goods.
- Re-check annually — Supplier formulations change. What didn't contain sesame last year might now.
Let AI Catch What You Miss
MenuComply flags sesame automatically when analyzing your menu items. It knows that hummus contains tahini (sesame), that "Asian dressing" likely contains sesame oil, and that many burger buns have sesame — so you don't have to remember every edge case.