Sr. Food Safety Specalist Commercial Food Sanitation/Intralox Joplin, MO, United States
Description: On April 23, 2021 the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act of 2021 was signed into law, adding sesame as the ninth major food allergen that manufacturers are required to declare on the labeling of packaged foods. The updated labeling requirements will apply on January 1, 2023. In addition, the FASTER Act requires manufacturers that use sesame to cross-contamination regulations which are included in the Food Safety Modernization Act ("FSMA"). Under FSMA regulations, FDA requires that facilities have preventive controls to minimize the risk of undeclared food allergens.
Since the passage of the FASTER Act, the speakers have led efforts at multiple facilities and multiple companies to prepare for the January 2023 date. The goal of the session will be to review the FASTER Act, its impact on bakers and what efforts which have been taken to minimize and how successful they have been to reduce the potential of cross contamination in facilities attempting to run products with and without seeds.
Classroom Engagement: During the presentation, hands on demonstrations will be used to illustrate the importance of hygienic design and the challenges of sesame seeds.
