4 ms·

Starting in 2023, add sesame to that list. And then of course due to these labeling laws, you get allergens purposefully added to foods as the easiest and cheap

Starting in 2023, add sesame to that list. And then of course due to these labeling laws, you get allergens purposefully added to foods as the easiest and cheapest way to comply with the law: https://apnews.com/article/sesame-allergies-label-b28f8eb3dc846f2a19d87b03440848f1 https://apnews.com/article/sesame-allergies-label-b28f8eb3dc... Does that help people with sesame allergies? Unclear overall as it both helps and harms them.

mrguyorama 2y ago
So the government says "If you have an allergen and don't label it, you will be punished." Industry decides "It would cost a little money to find out if we have sesame in our product, so instead just add a little sesame and then label it" And you blame THE GOVERNMENT?! The one hurting allergic people here is the company putting sesame in everything so they don't have to give a shit about people with allergies. I'm so tired of American companies taking the dumbest, most harmful routes to things, and all of you stand up and shout at THE GOVERNMENT, as if Biden himself told Nestle to just put sesame in everything. Saner populations would correctly be angry at the companies making these overtly harmful decisions.
- nessguy 2y ago
  It’s perfectly logical. Even if the company doesn’t intentionally have sesame in their product, what if one of their suppliers gives them sesame tainted flour or something? If they don’t have a ‘May contain sesame’ warning then they might lose tons of money because they have to recall the product later. The problem here is how lawsuit friendly America is.
  - Ferret7446 2y ago
    The problem is legislators making reactionary laws and regulations that worsen the situation. There's a reason why the free market operates so much better than a centrally planned one; people are really bad at anticipating systemic emergent effects. If the legislators did any research at all, they would not have made such a boneheaded change.
Andrew6rant 2y ago
Speaking as someone who has a severe peanut allergy, it does help. Like Dr. Gupta said in the article, it is "so disappointing" that companies add sesame to products that didn't originally have them (they've done this with peanut flour too), but it's absolutely worth the tradeoff of getting sesame added as a "must label" allergen. There's so much uncertainty surrounding food allergy safety (particularly regarding children), and it can be heavy knowing that each meal could be your last. Barring impossible-to-avoid circumstances like the 2015 cumin fiasco (where suppliers cut spices with ground-up peanut shells), it's a true weight off your back knowing that a product does not contain an allergen

mrguyorama 2y ago

So the government says "If you have an allergen and don't label it, you will be punished." Industry decides "It would cost a little money to find out if we have sesame in our product, so instead just add a little sesame and then label it" And you blame THE GOVERNMENT?! The one hurting allergic people here is the company putting sesame in everything so they don't have to give a shit about people with allergies. I'm so tired of American companies taking the dumbest, most harmful routes to things, and all of you stand up and shout at THE GOVERNMENT, as if Biden himself told Nestle to just put sesame in everything. Saner populations would correctly be angry at the companies making these overtly harmful decisions.

nessguy 2y ago
It’s perfectly logical. Even if the company doesn’t intentionally have sesame in their product, what if one of their suppliers gives them sesame tainted flour or something? If they don’t have a ‘May contain sesame’ warning then they might lose tons of money because they have to recall the product later. The problem here is how lawsuit friendly America is.
- Ferret7446 2y ago
  The problem is legislators making reactionary laws and regulations that worsen the situation. There's a reason why the free market operates so much better than a centrally planned one; people are really bad at anticipating systemic emergent effects. If the legislators did any research at all, they would not have made such a boneheaded change.

Andrew6rant 2y ago

Speaking as someone who has a severe peanut allergy, it does help. Like Dr. Gupta said in the article, it is "so disappointing" that companies add sesame to products that didn't originally have them (they've done this with peanut flour too), but it's absolutely worth the tradeoff of getting sesame added as a "must label" allergen. There's so much uncertainty surrounding food allergy safety (particularly regarding children), and it can be heavy knowing that each meal could be your last. Barring impossible-to-avoid circumstances like the 2015 cumin fiasco (where suppliers cut spices with ground-up peanut shells), it's a true weight off your back knowing that a product does not contain an allergen