VOA健康报道2023--US Agency Permits Sesame to be Added to Foods

US Agency Permits Sesame to be Added to Foods

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently said that by law food makers¹ are permitted to add sesame to their products. They also must identify sesame content in their foods on product packaging.

Sesame is the seed of the sesamum or benne plant. It is used to make oil and the seeds themselves are often used on bread or baked goods. The seeds come in black and white colors.

Sesame is used in many foods to add a nutty flavor or some crunch².

But the American non-profit group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), says about 1.6 million people are allergic³ to the seeds. Someone who is allergic can get very sick after eating the seeds. People with the allergy⁴ usually learn to stay away from traditional foods that contain sesame.

The CSPI is protesting to the FDA about a law that went into effect in January.

The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act, known as FASTER, listed sesame as a major allergen requiring identification on packaging for the first time.

Some food companies made changes to their production centers in reaction to the new law. Some cut sesame use completely. Others, however, decided⁵ to add sesame to products that did not usually contain it. As long as they identified the sesame on the food packaging, they were obeying the law fully⁶.

The CSPI and other organizations argue that adding sesame to foods that did not contain it in the past limits food choices for allergic people.

Some food companies say it is too hard to prevent sesame from getting into some products, or it is too costly⁷ to change their production centers. It is easier to add sesame and identify it legally.

Some restaurants are also adding sesame to their foods and noting it on menus or meal listings in order to meet the requirements of the food law.

Robert Earl is a food safety advocate. He said the practice will put people with food allergies⁸ in danger of getting sick. "It puts our community at greater risk," he said. Earl added that food companies and restaurants adding sesame to products reduces food choices.

Earl said his organization – Food Allergy Research and Education – has received a number of complaints from people who said they got sick by eating formerly⁹ "safe" products.

Ruchi Gupta is a children's doctor at Northwestern University. She is director of the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma¹⁰ research there. Gupta called the FDA's decision "disappointing," and noted¹¹ that the food company and restaurant changes are permitted by law. However, she said she hoped the FDA would have "come out in a way to try to discourage" putting sesame in unusual products.

Robert Califf leads the Food and Drug Administration. In a message posted online in 2023, he wrote about companies adding sesame to their foods. He called it "a practice with an outcome we do not support." He said it does not break any rule but that it "limits options for consumers who are allergic to sesame."

He also noted that consumers should "check the label every time you buy a food product – even if you have eaten it before and didn't have an allergic reaction."

The F.D.A. also said companies cannot use language like "may contain sesame" if the product does not contain it.

Peter Lurie heads the CSPI. He said he hoped the FDA's recent statements would send a message to food companies. He said "it's on the companies to act responsibly," if the FDA is not going to force them to make changes.

Words in This Story

packaging –n. the outside container a product comes in, such as a box

crunch –n. a word used to describe the sound or feeling of chewing something that has a hard outer part

allergic –adj. used to describe the experience of getting sick from some part of food or a bite from a bug¹²

advocate –n. a person who speaks for something or someone else who does not have a strong voice

discourage –v. to argue against something happening

commissioner¹³ –n. a person who is in charge of an agency or organization

practice –n. a way of doing things, such as making a food product

option –n. something that may be chosen

consumer –n. a person or group of people who purchase a product

label –n. a piece of information on the outside of product that tells what is inside

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

3 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

4 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

8 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

9 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

10 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

13 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。