The MSG Deception 

PAUL GOETTLICH / South Bend Tribune 26aug97 rev.3sep01

[More by Paul Goettlich and more on MSG]

 

As long as our political system is so deeply controlled by industry, we must live with the deceptions.

If used in a product, MSG must be listed on the label. But if the product was made with another ingredient that already had MSG in it, the label need not have MSG listed.

If that isn’t deceiving enough for those of us that suffer from eating things with MSG in them, MSG can go by a myriad of aliases such as:

  • Accent
  • Ajinomoto
  • Zest
  • Vetsin
  • Gourmet Powder
  • Subu
  • Chinese seasoning
  • Glutavene
  • Glutacyl
  • RL-50
  • Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
  • Hydrolyzed plant protein
  • Natural Flavorings
  • Flavorings
  • Kombu extract
  • Mei-jing and 
  • Wei-jing.
Even in products that boast "No MSG" one can find one or two of the aliases on the label. So while they can legally make the claim of having no MSG, it is truly a deception. There should be a new law on the labeling of foods so substances that people that have adverse reactions to it would properly be labeled. This law would include in it that there would be one name for MSG no matter how many others exist. It would also require that no matter how it came to the product it would be labeled. As long as our political system is so deeply controlled by PACs we must live with the deceptions.

A good book to learn more about MSG is In Bad Taste by George R. Schwartz, MD. (Health Press at 800-643-2665)

The only sure way to avoid MSG is to purchase raw, unprocessed foods and prepare them yourself.

 

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