Multi-Industry Letter to RFK Jr. Opposing Cuts to Foodborne Illness Surveillance Program Funding
In November 2025, ASTA signed a Safe Food Coalition letter requesting that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kennedy fully fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), the only active foodborne illness surveillance network in the U.S., in response to proposed cuts to the program. The letter was co-signed by both trade associations and public health organizations concerned with this reduction in capacity on active foodborne illness surveillance.
11/20/2025 at 12:00 am
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Coalition Comments to FDA Requesting Sesame Labeling Compliance Date Clarification
ASTA signed onto FBIA coalition comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2022, requesting that the FDA clarify that the compliance date under the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act (FASTER) means that food products containing sesame must be labeled with a sesame allergen statement on or after January 1, 2021 and that products labeled before that do not need to be in compliance with the FASTER Act.
ASTA Comments to FDA on Voluntary Sesame Labeling Guidance
ASTA issued comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February 2021 on the Voluntary Disclosure of Sesame as an Allergen: Guidance for Industry. Comments outline inconsistencies and confusion arising from the guidance, including that FDA policy already provides that sesame should not be labeled under the generic declaration of spices. ASTA requests that FDA revoke the voluntary guidance due to the legislative process and the FASTER Act.
