An English Labeling Error
Compliance, Not Translation
Situation
A seaweed exporter shipped a 30-CBM container to LA. The label listed sesame oil among the ingredients, simply noted as 'Contains: sesame oil.'
Problem
It said only 'sesame oil,' not 'sesame.' Sesame oil and sesame are different phrases, but FDA treats the whole category as 'sesame' — so a 'Contains: sesame' statement was required.
Timeline
- Arrival — selected for an FDA label inspection
- Finding — allergen labeling error
- Wait — the container sat in FDA's holding queue for a week
Losses
A week of storage feesLabel rework
📌 A label is a matter of compliance, not translation.