Successfully lobbied Congress and the FDA to add sesame to the list of just 8 other food items that require special allergy labeling on packaging where the ingredient is present.

Campaign Highlight

Sesame is the 9th most common allergen, but the FDA did not previously require products that contain sesame to include the possible allergy warning, despite being the practice in Canada, Europe, Japan, and other countries.

FARE submitted a citizen’s petition to the FDA asking them to label sesame products to help protect the nearly 1.6 million Americans living with a sesame allergy. They also went the legislative route and introduced a new bill through a member of Congress in California. Over several years, FARE advocated for the new labeling requirements in Congress and through the grassroots. They used email, patch-through phone calls, and other advocacy tools to generate support and keep the campaign active.

Using Salsa tools, FARE was able to build a coalition of supporters who were able to see themselves in the issue and to take action on it - even those without food allergies contributed to the cause.

In March of 2020, FARE flew more than 150 people to Washington DC for face-to-face meetings that led to additional sponsors and eventually to the bill’s passage in the House and Senate. The FDA will soon begin to label products containing sesame, and they have commissioned an additional report that FARE hopes will point out additional gaps that might be present in food allergy research and there where the government could step in and help out.