Started March 10, 2023
Signatures: 358Next Goal: 500
Support now
Why this petition matters
Started byKira B
Hi, my name is Genevieve (this is my mom's account but I am running the petition). I am a 13-year-old and I have an anaphylactic allergy to tree nuts and sesame.
On January 1, 2023, a law called the FASTER act was put in place. The FASTER (Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research) act is a law stating that “sesame” will be listed as the ninth major food allergen in the United States. This means that ingredient labels on food products and in restaurants MUST list sesame in the allergen section. Before this, over 1.5 million people in the US were suffering from sesame being hidden behind “natural flavors” and other common things you would find in the ingredients of different food products. Now we can go straight down to the bottom to see if there is a “Contains sesame” or “Made in a facility that also processes sesame” and more. This was supposed to be a HUGE win for us victims of food allergies, but instead, some common fast-food restaurants did the opposite. They started ADDING sesame to a lot of their food!!! A few of these chains are Wendy’s, Chick-fil-a, and Culver’s...all places that had previously been completely safe for those of us with sesame allergies to eat at!
Here are the things they have added sesame to: Wendy’s has added sesame flour to their Premium and Value Buns as well as their Homestyle French Toast Sticks. Chick-fil-a has added sesame flour to their White and Multigrain Brioche Buns. And finally, Culver’s has added sesame flour to their Kaiser Buns.
People with allergies to sesame are furious. Just ask me. Why do you think I’m making this petition? They are blaming it on their manufacturers, but they still have a say to stop the manufacturers. It’s really about the money. Apparently, adding sesame saves money in the long run. Also, they have said that "it is so much easier", because instead of adding "may contain sesame" to everything, they find it easier to just add sesame to it, especially because they don't want to have to clean their work stations and utensils every time they make something else. I know, it doesn't make sense to me either. Plus, they are saying, “It’s only less than 2% sesame flour”. But for people with anaphylaxis, it doesn’t matter if it’s a tiny crumb of a sesame seed, or it's 100% sesame, we will still have a horrible reaction either way.
So, this petition is to stop that. By signing this petition, you will hopefully help get all three of these fast-food chains to go back to their original recipes and will prevent other restaurants and brands from doing the same thing in the future. And more importantly, give kids with food allergies a VOICE! Thank you so much for your help and support. Sincerely, Genevieve :)
