For the last time, MSG is FINE!
A coalition of chefs and activists is hoping to exonerate the ingredient from its historical misconceptions with a new initiative
For years, Asian Americans have been fighting against the negative stigma associated with MSG.
Photo illustration by Ryan Quan
Words by Daniel Anderson
A few days ago, I was in a cozy Chinese restaurant near my home, indulging in a BBQ pork and roast pork combo with rice. Each bite was a testament to the deep, savory notes of umami that lingered long after the meal. As I enjoyed the richness of these flavors, an elderly couple entered. The wife, an Asian woman, carefully scanned the menu but hesitated when it came to dishes that contained monosodium glutamate (MSG). Her reluctance was telling—a reflection of a decades-old stigma that continues to haunt Asian cuisine.
Despite its ubiquity and the fact that MSG is found naturally in many foods we consume daily—such as tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms and meat—its reputation took a sharp downturn in 1968. That year, a Chinese American physician, Dr. Robert Ho Man Kwok, penned a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), in which he described experiencing symptoms like headaches and numbness after eating at Chinese restaurants in the United States. He speculated that the discomfort could be from high sodium or some other ingredient in soy sauce or cooking wine, before noting “that it may be caused by the monosodium glutamate used to a great extent for seasoning in Chinese restaurants.” However, he adds that more research should be conducted and calls upon his fellow physicians to investigate.
The NEJM, in a move that would have far-reaching consequences, titled the letter “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” (CRS). Unfortunately, the term stuck. This editorial decision ignited widespread fear and the journal would go on to publish 11 correspondences from other doctors mentioning similar experiences at Chinese restaurants in particular, although none of them pointed to the same symptoms or isolated MSG as a root cause. The media seized upon these so-called “findings,” creating a moral panic that linked MSG to a range of vague and often unverified complaints, from headaches to heart palpitations. A 1969 scientific study even labeled MSG as a cause of CRS, even though this notion has been disproven in future studies and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's own research. What had once been a celebrated culinary enhancer in everything from U.S. canned foods to military soldier’s MRE rations, was now demonized, casting a long shadow over both the ingredient and the cuisine it was most often associated with.
An initiative spearheaded by Japanese food and biotech company Ajinomoto is hoping to hold NEJM accountable. On Aug. 27, a coalition of Asian American activists, supported by Ajinomoto, published an open letter to NEJM, demanding the journal acknowledge its part in propagating this racially biased term and address the glaring omission of CRS in its recent effort to confront its historical biases. Despite NEJM's recent initiative, announced in December 2023, to review and correct past content that perpetuated racist beliefs—an effort that led to the revisions and accountability of outdated racist findings such as slavery preventing insanity among Black people—the journal has conspicuously failed to address CRS.
Through hashtags like #RevisitCRS, the coalition aims to spark a broader conversation and galvanize NEJM into action. This is their third attempt as the coalition reached out in February and May to NEJM about the CRS issue via email, but have yet to hear back.
“We were excited when we saw that they were going to start addressing these topics from their past. Certainly we applaud that it's something within the medical community that has been happening broadly as well. I think people are recognizing that there is some history that needs to be acknowledged and corrected,” says Tia M. Rains, vice president of science, innovation and corporate affairs at Ajinomoto.
The coalition’s signatories include prominent voices such as Chef Calvin Eng and food writer Kat Lieu, founder of the online community Subtle Asian Baking. For Lieu, her involvement stems from a personal place. “Growing up, whenever we went to a Chinese restaurant, if my mom tasted MSG, she’d say, ‘We’re not coming back.’ I’ve had to work hard to correct her misconceptions, which have been deeply ingrained. My mom’s from Hong Kong, and for as long as I can remember, even in our household, MSG was seen as something bad—until recently,” she says.
What is MSG?
Here is what MSG actually is. It is an amino acid derivative that enhances the savory profile of countless dishes. Its story dates back to 1907 when Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda first identified the unique taste in a bowl of dashi, a broth made from kombu, a type of Japanese seaweed. Recognizing the distinct “deliciousness” that the Japanese call "umami," Ikeda isolated glutamate as the key component responsible for this flavor. He then discovered how to replicate the molecule from seaweed and combined it with water and table salt to create a stable, crystalline form. By 1909, MSG was being produced commercially, allowing people worldwide to add umami to their cooking. Umami is now widely accepted as one of the five basic taste profiles alongside sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Modern MSG production has evolved, with the compound now being derived from sources like sugarcane, beets, and corn through a natural fermentation process.
Moreover, Rains emphasizes that MSG should be recognized as a healthier alternative to salt. “It has the potential to reduce sodium in both packaged food products and home cooking. Unfortunately, due to the negative perception surrounding MSG, many product developers avoid using it, even though nine out of 10 Americans consume more sodium than is healthy. This perception challenge is preventing us from utilizing MSG to help lower sodium levels,” she explains.
It’s not certain if Kwok’s initial letter stating his symptoms may be from high sodium were conclusively true, but high sodium intake is linked to serious health issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease. “Having worked in the food industry for almost 30 years, I’ve seen little progress in reducing sodium in packaged foods,” Rains adds. “By exonerating MSG, we can not only support the Asian American community and their cuisine but also make a meaningful impact on public health.”
The misconceptions around MSG persist into Lieu’s own work as the cookbook author of Modern Asian Baking at Home and Modern Asian Kitchen. Whenever she shares MSG as an ingredient for online recipes, she receives misinformed or mean comments from followers. Even in cooking demonstrations, she still has to preface and explain to audiences that MSG is perfectly safe and tasty.
“It has had lasting negative impacts on our Asian food community and culture to this day,” Lieu says. “This is especially important given the climate we’ve seen as recently as 2020, with terms like 'China virus' and 'kung flu'—words that are deeply hurtful and have a lasting impact. I hope NEJM realizes that real people are hurting and that they’ll take this opportunity to revisit the term they coined and close the chapter on the stigma and mistrust it has caused.”
Published on September 3, 2024
Words by Daniel Anderson
Daniel Anderson is a disabled Chinese American adoptee based in Seattle. His freelance writing specialties include K-pop, entertainment, and food. He believes that any restaurant can be a buffet, and the key to success is to take a nap each day. Follow his adventures on Instagram @danzstan.
Art by Ryan Quan
Ryan Quan is the Social Media Editor for JoySauce. This queer, half-Chinese, half-Filipino writer and graphic designer loves everything related to music, creative nonfiction, and art. Based in Brooklyn, he spends most of his time dancing to hyperpop and accidentally falling asleep on the subway. Follow him on Instagram at @ryanquans.