Mono sodium glutamate may be banned

“Like plastics, the salt is also harmful to us. There is a proposal to ban it which is lying with the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Once he reviews the proposal, a decision will be taken,” said Karuppannan during a meeting held at Anna University on Thursday.

The comment has returned the discussion on whether it is harmful to health as is widely said or safe as claimed by Ajinomoto, the global leader among MSG manufacturers, a debate that has been going on for several decades.

Responding to the Minister’s comment, Atsushi Mishku, director, Ajinomoto (India), said in a statement, “MSG, popularly called as Ajinomoto, is prepared out of natural ingredients. In our company, MSG is manufactured fromsugarcane. MSG also naturally occurs in some of the vegetables like tomatoes.”

To back the claim that it was natural and safe to be added to all food, he added that MSG was present in mothers’ milk and was thus safe for even infants. “MSG can enhance the taste for food items. It can be added to sambar, rasam, vegetable fries, soups, and curries to make them taste much better,” said Mishku.

Dr S Bhuvaneshwari, a nutritionist attached to Apollo Hospitals, told DT Next, “Though MSG occurs naturally, there is a difference when it is used artificially. There is already a sufficient amount of sodium consumed in our food in the form of sodium chloride (common salt). So there is no need for extra sodium. We already have several traditional tastemakers to increase flavours for our native food. Some people are allergic to MSG, found mostly in Chinese cuisine, and it is better they avoid it.”