> My heart truly bleeds for companies who face the insurmountable task of printing "may contain sesame"

The reason the regulation, and the commercial response to it, is controversial is that companies cannot simply print "may contain sesame" and be done with it.

"Statements such as 'may contain [allergen]' ... can be used to address unavoidable 'cross-contact,' only if manufacturers ... have taken every precaution to avoid cross-contact"

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/food-allerg...

This is a counter-intuitive, and presumably unintended consequence of the regulation that sucks if you're allergic, but fining or jailing executives for complying with it is silly. Hopefully, enough other companies will see a competitive advantage in retooling their processes to deliver sesame-free products.