United States: A large US commercial bakery has challenged the Food and Drug Administration put to it to cease labeling its products with sesame as an ingredient – which is a possible allergy trigger – where it is not present.
More about the news
Facing apparent disregard for the FDA’s letter in June, which warns that several of its products are ‘misbranded’ because sesame or tree nuts appear on the label even if the food items do not contain them, Bimbo Bakeries USA, which sells brands such as Sara Lee, Entenmann’s and Ball Park buns and rolls.
In a response to the FDA, Bimbo officials said they would not alter their sesame labeling. The company said it has plants, where some products are produced with sesame, and others do not have sesame as an ingredient.
However, when it came to labeling, the company said that it labels sesame as an ingredient and uses the same packaging for all of the products to ensure that people with sesame sensitivity do not accidentally take foods that may cause potentially fatal allergic reactions.
According to the company, which made its statement in a July 1 letter obtained by the advocacy group Center for Science, “We think our approach is the most protective of sesame-allergic consumers,” AP News reported.
What more are the officials stating?
Bimbo officials agreed with this statement in an email sent to the AP on Wednesday, describing it as a “conservative approach” for consistent labeling of nationally distributed products.
However, the representatives of the FDA refused to provide comments, stating they would address the issue directly with the company.
There is always the legal action that the agency possesses the power to recall products they have approved, to file civil fines and or criminal charges against companies that ignore the warning letters
However, CSPI and other food safety advocates said the standoff persists, a practice that raised confusion among at least 33 million consumers with food allergies and reduced the options for more than 1.6 million with sesame allergies.
As Sung Poblete, chief executive of the nonprofit group FARE, Food Allergy Research & Education, added, “We depend on accurate food labeling to feel safe,” and, “We depend on accurate labeling to make the food choices that we make.”
The standstill is a result of the 2023 federal law that ordered that any foods produced and sold in the country be labeled if they contain sesame.