Update: The president has signed the FASTER ACT!
On April 23, 2021, President Biden signed the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act of 2021, also called the FASTER Act (H.R.1202/S.578), into law. This bill expands the definition of major allergens to include sesame and requires analysis of food allergy research.
On Feb. 22, 2021, the House representatives reintroduced the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act (H.R.1202).
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has led advocacy efforts asking for required sesame labeling for years. (Kids With Food Allergies is the food allergy division of AAFA.)
If passed, the FASTER Act would recognize sesame as the ninth food allergen by law. This would require food companies to label sesame as an allergen on food and beverage products, just like the other top 8 food allergens.
The bill also directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to analyze current food allergy research. They would report on where resources should be directed to promote the prevention, treatment, and cure of food allergies.
This is not the first time this bill has been introduced. Two versions of the FASTER Act passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate at the end of 2020. But because the bills were slightly different, lawmakers ran out of time to pass the same version of the bill in both chambers.
Thank you to Reps. Doris Matsui (D-CA), Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Elaine Luria (D-VA), and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) for reintroducing the FASTER Act this year. Now, we need your help to make sure the FASTER Act is signed into law.
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