> Strikingly, media reports indicated that some food manufacturers began adding sesame to products that previously did not contain the ingredient following the implementation of the new allergen labeling requirements (Aleccia, 2022; Chatman, 2023; Hughes, et al., 2023).

I have to wonder if they really started adding sesame, or just began accurate labeling?

Really started adding. This is the key quote:

    Second, we document that, following the enactment of the federal law,
    some food manufacturers engaged in risk mitigation by adding small
    amounts of sesame to products that previously did not contain the
    ingredient. Doing so allowed firms to use the safe harbor provided by
    the allergen labeling rule rather than the ambiguous and non-protective
    “may contain” precautionary labeling. This was most observed in the breads
    and buns category, products for which the prevention of cross-contamination
    may have been more challenging and the likelihood of a recall or litigation
    higher.

Yes, they added sesame.

https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/fare-responds-companie...

Edit: I mean, it's also in the linked article! Just keep reading!

I also wondered if they didn't just start labeling as such since they couldn't guarantee that things didn't get contaminated with sesame. "This product is made in a facility where sesame is used"...even if we didn't use sesame in this product being the unwritten part.