E621 - Monosodium glutamate blamed for creating addictive food.
Written by Chris Andrews on September 22nd, 2005 in Flavour enhancers and flavourings, News, Bad News.
Crisp makers are defending their products in Ireland after it was revealed that 7% of children there consume at least one packet a day. This is part of the blame for childhood obesity. The defense of the manufacturers is that crisps are natural products make from natural nutritional ingredients. Jennifer Allen from the Limerick post rubbishes this saying that “while the crisps may have started off as natural raw ingredients, the nutrition is largely lost through processingâ€?.
MSG comes into play here, because it is added as an ingredient to crisps which can make you want more and more of the products - as the Limerick Post ironically points out “once you pop you can’t stop!”. Not only does MSG create a more addictive product but it is also linked with lethargy or hyperactivity. The paper points out that it isn’t often obvious that the crisps contain this because it is listed by its E Number (E621). Other free glutamic acid ingredients to look out for are:
- E620 Glutamic acid
- E621 Monosodium glutamate
- E622 Monopotassium glutamate
- E623 Calcium diglutamate
- E624 Monoammonium glutamate
- E625 Magnesium diglutamate
Further reading:
- Limeric Post - for the full story
- Truth In Labeling - valuable information for MSG sensitive people