Sesame in Canada: label rules and introduction guidance

Is sesame on Canada's priority food allergen list?

Sesame seeds are a priority allergen in Canada and must be declared in the ingredient list or a 'Contains' statement right after it. Health Canada's sesame page lists other names that may appear on ingredient lists, including benne, benniseed, gingelly, sesamol, Sesamum indicum, sim sim, til and tahini, and notes that sesame oil and sesame salt (gomasio) contain sesame. It also flags that a vague ingredient such as vegetable oil may contain sesame oil, so the full label matters.

Canada's priority food allergens are eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, crustaceans and molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and wheat and triticale. Under the enhanced labelling rules published in 2011, a prepackaged food must name each one by its common name in the list of ingredients or in a statement beginning with 'Contains'. Gluten sources (barley, oats, rye, triticale and wheat) are declared the same way. 'May contain' statements are voluntary, cannot be used when an allergen is added on purpose, and must follow the ingredients or 'Contains' statement.

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Food allergies and allergen labelling
• Health Canada: Common food allergens
• Health Canada: Sesame, a priority food allergen

What CPS guidance says about introducing sesame

Canadian paediatric guidance says less about sesame than about other allergens. The CPS practice point lists the most common allergens in children as cow's milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy, and sesame is not on that list, although its EAT study summary includes sesame among six foods introduced early. The general CPS advice still applies: introduce allergenic foods one at a time without unnecessary delay, with an age-appropriate texture. Sources were thin here, so ask your paediatrician how and when to offer sesame.

In Canada, allergen introduction guidance comes from the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS). Its practice point for infants at high risk (2019, updated 2020) defines high risk as a personal history of eczema or other atopy, or a parent or sibling with an allergic condition. For those babies it recommends considering common allergenic solids at around 6 months but not before 4 months, guided by developmental readiness; for babies at low or no risk, it recommends complementary foods at about 6 months.

• Canadian Paediatric Society: Timing of introduction of allergenic solids for infants at high risk

Logging sesame in the app

The app's region picker has no Canada option yet. The US schedule covers all nine allergens in these guides, and Canadian priority allergens outside it, such as mustard, can be added as foods in the diary. In the schedule, sesame appears as Sesame. Each allergen entry moves from not started to introduced, cleared or reaction, and the 14-day window keeps new foods spaced out so a delayed reaction is easier to match to a food. Note the form, such as tahini stirred into a purée, so you can repeat the same food later. If you see a symptom, log it with its severity; the paediatrician report gathers the dates into one PDF for your next appointment. It is a record for you and your doctor, not a diagnosis.