New Study Finds Consumer Sentiment Toward Monosodium Glutamate is Shifting
A recent World Health Organization report shows the world will miss its 2025 sodium reduction target that sets out to reduce global sodium intake
A recent research report, Ingredient Watch: Debunking MSG from Mintel,1 the world's leading market intelligence agency, finds that consumers now view monosodium glutamate (MSG) positively, despite historical misconceptions about MSG rooted in xenophobia. In addition to showing that 75% of the global social media conversation about MSG is positive between 2018-2023,2 the report posits that companies that strive to destigmatize the ingredient will be seen favorably by consumers – unlocking a powerful opportunity for food companies.
Despite MSG's safety record validated by health organizations across the globe, the ingredient has been unfairly villainized for decades in the US, stemming from poorly conducted science and xenophobic stigma. Since 2018, the Ajinomoto Group has worked to set the record straight in the US, working with nutrition and culinary experts and the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community to unravel years of stigma. In 2020, Merriam-Webster revised its definition of the problematic term "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" after the Ajinomoto Group and other advocates exposed its racist undertones in relation to MSG. In 2021, popular 30-day elimination program Whole30 announced it would "no longer rule out MSG as one of its off-limits additives," citing a reevaluation of "current science, historical learnings, and our diversity, equity and inclusion values."