If you're old enough to remember the "No MSG" signs that used to be common in some Asian restaurants, you probably also remember the nebulous freakout around monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer that gives foods that savory mouth feel known as umami.
I grew up assuming it was some unnecessary and perhaps insidious additive thrown into food, perhaps to cover questionable quality. That's a reasonable assumption, given all the negative press around MSG dating back to the 1960s and well into the 1990s, when it was believed to cause headaches and various other bad symptoms.
But the modern consensus is that MSG is just a safe flavor enhancer that adds complexity to some dishes and occurs naturally in several kinds of foods. Now a pro-MSG campaign is aiming to raise awareness of lingering stigma by urging Merriam-Webster to drop or at least revisit its definition of "Chinese restaurant syndrome."
I immediately wondered who was behind the unbranded campaign, and wasn't surprised to learn it was a global corporation that sells—you guessed it—MSG. But what was surprising is that the company, Ajinomoto, was founded by the Japanese scientist who actually discovered MSG after trying to isolate the savory flavor in his favorite broth.
Read more: And find out how Merriam-Webster has responded.
I hope you have a wonderful and restful three-day weekend!
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
David.Griner@Adweek.com
