Giving the people a choice on MSG

The production team of “Lee Yeong-don’s Food X File,” a popular investigative news show on The Dong-A Ilbo`s sister TV network Channel A, was surprised while gathering information on a story last summer. Members knew that restaurants in Korea used artificial seasonings but never expected such widespread and heavy use. Many restaurants were found to make the soup of "naengmyeon (cold noodle)" with a heavy dose of artificial seasonings instead of meat. Virtually all of the establishments used artificial seasonings to make "jajangmyeon (Chinese-style noodles in black bean paste)," "jjamppong (Chinese-style spicy noodle soup)," "gamjatang (potato and pork rib broth)," "kongnamul haejangkuk (soybean spout soup for curing a hangover)," and "pajeon (green onion pancake)." To the same extent, it was extremely difficult to find restaurants that used natural ingredients. The production team conducted its first-round inspection before going on to the fourth and fifth rounds, including onsite visits by experts, but none of more than 100 restaurants surveyed survived all of the rounds.

The official name of MSG, the main ingredient in artificial seasonings, is L-sodium glutamate. The substance is a combination of glutamic acid, a protein created by fermenting raw sugar from sugar cane, with natrium. The team made a new suggestion in the episode “Artificial Seasoning MSG” aired as a New Year`s edition. A campaign was also proposed to give consumers the choice of whether to consume MSG. Restaurants would be asked to not put MSG into foods they serve, and instead place bottles of seasonings on the table to allow consumers to flavor their food as they please. The team contacted nearly 100 restaurants about the proposal but got just one positive response. The other 99 used artificial seasonings but were reluctant to admit it. Consumer reaction to the report was mixed. Some said they would not use such seasonings if they knew while others said foods require seasonings to enhance taste. Likewise, the debate has grown intense over the use of artificial seasonings.

The effects of MSG on the human body has yet to be scientifically confirmed. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, an authoritative international body on food additives, has since 1987 maintained that scientific evidence has yet to be found whether MSG is harmful to the human body. The Korea Food and Drug Administration also says, “Sodium glutamate is a kind of protein,” suggesting that as mackerel or peach is not considered harmful just because it causes allergies in certain people with a certain type of constitution, MSG is not harmful.

Many people, however, have testified suffering from side effects after consuming artificial seasoning, so the dispute lingers. People who participated in a test conducted by the show’s producers suffered digestive problems and vomited after eating MSG, which distorts the original flavor of food. The International Consumer Union and the Korean Federation for Environment Movement are staging campaigns to end the use of artificial seasonings. If MSG is added to a recipe, it is hard to tell whether it was made from fresh or spoiled raw materials. The food is overwhelmed by the sweet taste of MSG, and loses its natural flavor. Compared to other countries, Korea consumes more MSG per capita but the country hides this fact, which is another problem. According to a study of MSG consumption by country compiled by Nikkan Economic News in 2010, per capita consumption of MSG was 0.2 grams in Europe and 0.6 grams in North America, but 1.9 grams in Korea.

Government authorities cannot force restaurant owners, who are mostly self-employed with small-scale operations, to unconditionally stop using MSG. It might be difficult to produce good flavors with just natural ingredients without using artificial seasonings for a serving of "seolleongtang (stock soup of bone and meat)" that costs just 5 U.S. dollars. Consumers need to recognize that the consumption of quality foods entails corresponding expenses. After all, authorities cannot ban the use of MSG, and hence a reasonable alternative is to allow consumers to make an informed choice of whether they will consume the additive on their own.