Goma (Sesame Seeds)

Sesame allergen handling has become substantially more critical for OEM compliance, particularly for export, since 2023: (1) Japan JAS recommended-disclosure status — disclosure is the standard practice for processed products, even though not in the strict-mandatory category. (2) **EU mandatory allergen** — sesame is one of the EU-recognized allergens requiring disclosure on all processed food labels. EU export OEM must include sesame in allergen statements. (3) **US Big-9 mandatory allergen since January 1, 2023** — under the FASTER Act, sesame became the 9th US mandatory allergen, joining peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soybeans, and wheat. All US food products containing sesame must declare this allergen prominently. This affects all US exports. (4) Cross-contamination control — sesame seeds are small and fine, easily creating cross-contamination in shared production lines. Allergen control plans must address sesame specifically. For OEM facilities producing for both Japanese domestic and US/EU export: comprehensive allergen control programs, dedicated sesame production lines where possible, validated cleaning procedures, and explicit sesame disclosure on all product labels are now essential. Products previously launched without sesame allergen disclosure may require label updates and cross-contamination assessment for continued export viability.