The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act identified sesame as the ninth major food allergen on Jan. 1, 2023. Sesame is now required to be labeled as an allergen on packaged foods and dietary supplements. This change will help yourself and any loved ones with food allergies to quickly identify whether a packaged food item contains sesame.

To help increase awareness of the FASTER Act, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) developed new educational materials to describe how this change affects consumers. Millions of Americans have food allergies and experience adverse reactions to food allergens. While most allergic reactions cause mild symptoms, some can be severe or life-threatening. Understanding how the FASTER Act changes food labeling could help consumers prevent these adverse reactions.

Available materials for consumers to explore on the FASTER Act include:

The FASTER Act: Sesame Is the Ninth Major Food Allergen webpage, which breaks down the facts about the FASTER Act, lists current sesame allergy labeling requirements, and discusses why not all food products will list sesame as an allergen right away.

The FASTER Act Social Media Toolkit, which includes a pre-drafted newsletter announcement and sample social media copy for X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram. Four graphics—including three GIFs—are available as well.

The Allergic to Sesame? Food Labels Now Must List Sesame as an Allergen video, which details important, need-to-know information for those with sesame allergies or other food allergies.

These educational materials are available to help you and your loved ones with food allergies learn more about how the FASTER Act will affect the way we read food labels. FDA's FASTER Act materials are also available in Spanish.

Make sure to closely read food labels and contact the food product's manufacturer or distributor with any concerns about potential allergens. Some packaged foods have long shelf lives. Items that were produced before the FASTER Act took effect may not include updated labeling. With the enactment of the FASTER Act, sesame will be required to be listed along with the other eight major food allergens, which are:

- Milk
-  Eggs
-  Fish, like bass, flounder, and cod
-  Crustacean shellfish, like crab, lobster, and shrimp
Tree nuts, like almonds, walnuts, and pecans
-  Peanuts
-  Wheat
-  Soybeans

Learn more about how the FASTER Act is changing the way we look at food labels.