Hidden sources of sesame, the newest major allergen

Updated 2026-07-22

Sesame is the newest addition to the US major allergens, and it is one of the easiest to miss, because it hides under other names and in foods that never mention "sesame". Here is the sourced picture.

This is general information, not medical advice. Always read the full label and follow your allergist's plan.

Sesame is now a labelled allergen (mostly)

The FASTER Act, signed in 2021, made sesame the 9th major food allergen in the United States. Since 1 January 2023, packaged foods and supplements that contain sesame must declare it as an allergen, the same way milk or peanut is declared. That is a big improvement, but two gaps remain:

• Older stock. Products made or shipped before 2023 did not have to be relabelled, so during the transition you may still find sesame-containing food without a clear sesame declaration. The FDA notes this directly.
• Outside the US, labelling rules differ, so the same product bought abroad may not spell it out.

So the label helps, but reading the ingredients still matters.

Sesame on an ingredient list

Sesame appears under several names and forms:

• Tahini and tahini paste (ground sesame), which does not contain the word "sesame" unless the maker adds it voluntarily
• Halva / halvah, hummus, baba ghanoush (commonly made with sesame or tahini)
• Za'atar and some spice blends
• Benne, benne seed, gingelly, gingelly oil, til, sesamol, sesamum indicum
• Sesame flour, sesame oil, sesame salt (gomasio)

Where sesame turns up unexpectedly

• Breads, buns, bagels, crackers and breadsticks (seeds on top, or sesame flour in the dough)
• Hummus and dips, falafel, and Middle Eastern and East Asian dishes
• Sushi, stir-fries and dressings (sesame oil and seeds)
• Sesame hidden inside generic "spices", "flavours" or "natural flavour" on older or imported labels

Because sesame is a common bakery ingredient and can be present through shared surfaces, take "may contain sesame" warnings seriously and discuss them with your allergist.

How AllergyLens helps

AllergyLens reads the whole ingredient list against a sesame profile, including names like tahini and gingelly, so sesame is flagged even when the plain word is not used. On an older or foreign label that omits the allergen, it can only work from what is written, so read the physical label and, when in doubt, avoid.