hamhead t1_j42faq3 wrote on January 12, 2023 at 6:36 PM

Reply to comment by sharrrper in Companies Are Adding Sesame to Foods. It's an Unintended Consequence of a New Allergen Label Law by Kodiak01

Sort of. On an individual level you’re right. On a societal level is where the debate comes in. People can die from a lot of unique things. That doesn’t mean society “bends over” for them. In the majority of cases, they have to accommodate society rather than the other way around.

The question is where does it become societal problem - how many people does it need to impact - before that switches.

prefer-to-stay-anon t1_j444zw8 wrote on January 13, 2023 at 1:05 AM

Given that 85 million Americans are living with life threatening allergies and intolerances (according to FARE, the biggest food allergy research and advocacy organization, seems a bit high, designed to shock you, but whatever), it seems like 25% of your population having an issue that can cause death without good information is a societal problem.

As for whether adding sesame to the "Contains" list is "bending over", hell no. We already do it for 8 allergens, what is the big deal with adding a 9th?

And don't get me started on the number and extreme lengths I have to go to in order to accommodate society for my food allergies. The only issue is that I have kept them so well hidden that most people won't notice.

hamhead t1_j44brvq wrote on January 13, 2023 at 1:54 AM

Ok a few things - even if that number is accurate, that’s all allergens, not one specific one.

The contains list isn’t a problem. That’s not what we are talking about. We are talking about changing food to accommodate, or banning certain things, or other actions of that nature. We are talking about people not wanting the ingredient in the food because too many contain it.

prefer-to-stay-anon t1_j450n7o wrote on January 13, 2023 at 5:09 AM

People vent on twitter. Its what they do. I have said many times on reddit that it is dumb that Ben And Jerry's dairy free flavors contain all the nuts. If you are making an allergy friendly option, make it allergy friendly.

But I know I am shouting into the void, I know the world isn't going to bend to my whims or medical needs, but that isn't going to stop me from complaining that I don't even have allergy friendly "allergy friendly" ice cream. These people are the same. The decision of the food manufacturer is making their life worse. They can't enjoy the things they used to, they can't enjoy the things they could if for a simple change, often a marketing decision. It sucks that their life is worse, just let them vent.