WASHINGTON — The American Bakers Association (ABA) sent a letter to Congress regarding the commercial baking industry’s implementation of and compliance with the 2021 Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research (FASTER) Act.

“The wholesale baking industry’s top priority is consumer safety,” said Eric Dell, president and chief executive officer, ABA. “We appreciate the opportunity to share with Congress how our members have fully complied with the law in order to protect allergic consumers.”

The baking industry is committed to ensuring compliance with food safety laws by enforcing extensive cleaning and Current Good Manufacturing Practices in their facilities to protect all consumers, according to ABA. Sesame is a uniquely challenging allergen to remove from the baking environment, and even the best practices cannot always remove traces of sesame.

“To better protect allergic consumers, Congress should call on the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to use its existing authority to establish a sesame allergen threshold,” Mr. Dell said. “ABA remains committed to continuing to work with Congress, FDA and the food allergen community to find practical solutions that are compliant with the law while also feeding America.”