- MSG has been branded as a dangerous food ingredient for decades, especially associated with Chinese cuisine.
- The problematic controversy isn’t rooted in science, but instead, racism.
- Chefs of today are advocating to debunk dated myths about the ingredient’s health impacts.
In 2019, Lucky Lee’s, a fast-casual Chinese American restaurant in New York City, closed its doors after less than a year in business. According to a since-deleted Instagram post, the owner vowed to serve “clean Chinese” food that included less salt, grease, and would leave customers feeling less “bloated and icky.” While the white-owned restaurant was met with immediate backlash for racist rhetoric, its original premise, to improve Chinese food fit for the refined western palate, sheds light on a prolonged battle between the Chinese food industry and racist myths about one commonly used ingredient — MSG.
Monosodium glutamate, abbreviated as MSG, is a popular flavor enhancer that has been popularized as a harmful processed additive mostly found in Chinese dishes, despite a plethora of scientific evidence that says the opposite. Not only has MSG been deemed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by the FDA, it is also naturally occurring in some foods, such as tomato products, protein isolates, and cheeses. Everything from chips to condiments, and frozen meals and fast foods, are also likely to contain MSG.
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