{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-blumenthal-scott-applaud-passage-of-bipartisan-bill-to-address-challenges-posed-by-food-allergies", "Murphy, Blumenthal, Scott Applaud Passage Of Bipartisan Bill To Address Challenges Posed By Food AllergiesRead More", "2020-12-09", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Christopher Murphy", "M001169", "www.murphy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONToday,U.S. Senators Chris\r\nMurphy (D-Conn.)andTim Scott (R-S.C.)applauded the\r\nSenate passage oftheFood\r\nAllergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act.The\r\nsenators led seven of their senator colleagues, includingRichard Blumenthal\r\n(D-Conn.), introducing this bill to addresses the growing\r\nchallenges posed by food allergies, which affect tens of millions of Americans.\r\nThe bill modernizes our nation's labeling laws by codifying sesame as a major\r\nfood allergen and calls for a comprehensive report on food allergies in the\r\nUnited States that will assist future governmental and private-sector efforts\r\nto monitor, study, and combat these allergies. Approximately 1.5 million\r\nAmericans are allergic to sesame. \"For\r\nyears, parents in Connecticut have told me about the challenges associated with\r\nsesame allergiesabout how dangerous it is for them or their children to go to\r\na grocery store or eat in the school cafeteria and not know if their food might\r\nhurt them. They helped me see it was inexcusable that federal law didn't\r\nrequire sesame labeling on food products, like it does for other allergens.\r\nThat is why I was proud to work across the aisle with Republican Senator Tim\r\nScott to draft legislation to finally require sesame labeling, and I'm excited\r\nto have it pass the Senate today. I look forward to this legislation passing in\r\nthe House and heading to the president's desk,\"said Murphy. This is a\r\nbig win for kids with life-threatening sesame allergies  and an immense relief\r\nfor their parents. Over the years, I've heard from a number of Connecticut\r\nresidents about the terrifying near-death experiences they or their children\r\nhad with sesame because it was hiding in the food they ate. I've fought for\r\nyears in their name to ensure that this major allergen is marked clearly on\r\nfood, just as peanuts and dairy are. I urge my House colleagues and the\r\npresident to act swiftly in making this bill law, before this deadly allergy\r\ntakes another person's life. said Blumenthal. \"With\r\napproximately 32 million Americans living with food allergies, it's important\r\nfor us to take targeted steps to address the growing challenges posed by food\r\nallergiesandto protect those who are vulnerable,\"said Scott.\r\nNationwide,caring for children with food allergies costs an average of\r\n$25 billion annually,andcan pose extreme hardships on low  and\r\nmiddle income families.I'm glad that this bipartisan legislationpassed\r\nthe Senateand hope that we can continue to make progress for Americans\r\naffected by this issue.\" \r\nThe FASTER Act would:\r\n \r\nCodify\r\nsesame as a major food allergen under the FD&C Act, effective for products\r\nintroduced into interstate commerce on or after January 1, 2023; and  \r\nDirect\r\nHHS, within two years of enactment, to submit a report to Congress on\r\nopportunities and challenges related to food allergy prevention, risk\r\nreduction, cures, data collection, and diagnostic and therapeutic development. The\r\nreport would also discuss a potential framework for modifying the federal list\r\nof major food allergens in the future. \r\nIn addition to Murphy, Blumenthal, and Scott the bill was also cosponsored by\r\nSens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jeanne\r\nShaheen (D-NH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).\r\nA one-pager on the legislation can be foundhere.\r\nThe full version of the bill text can be accessedhere. ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-blumenthal-scott-applaud-passage-of-bipartisan-bill-to-address-challenges-posed-by-food-allergies"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.783069059252739, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}