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In a letter dated August 13, 1999,
FDA Commissioner Jane Henney was asked to provide consumers with
the names of ingredients that contain processed free glutamic
acid (MSG). As of November 7, 1999, neither Commissioner Henney
nor anyone on her staff had responded.
_______________________
August 13, 1999
Dr. Jane Henney
Commissioner
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
Dear Dr. Henney:
The Truth in Labeling Campaign respectfully requests that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) make available to physicians, consumers, manufacturers, and others the names of all ingredients that contain processed free glutamic acid (MSG).
A recently completed informal survey of the FDA's Washington Office of Food Labeling and various FDA district offices has confirmed consumers' allegations that the FDA responds to consumer inquiries about ingredients that contain processed free glutamic acid (MSG) with incomplete and/or inaccurate information, if they offer any information at all.
Some District offices supplied the surveyor with identical lists of some of the ingredients that contain MSG. Some offices said they had no lists, and that when they inquired of their liaison in Washington, they were told that there were no lists of ingredients that contain processed free glutamic acid (MSG).
A number of FDA representatives suggested resources that they thought might prove helpful. The International Food Information Council (IFIC), an organization paid to promote the sale of monosodium glutamate, a product that contains processed free glutamic acid (MSG), was recommended. Recommended, also, were a number of other groups that represent members of the glutamate industry. But no consumer group was recommended.
While minimizing the extent and severity of human adverse reactions to processed free glutamic acid (MSG), the FDA officially recognizes that some people react adversely to the substance. The FDA also recognizes that mono and dichloro propanols are produced when processed free glutamic acid (MSG) is produced by acid hydrolysis, and that mono and dichloro propanols are carcinogenic. In the late 1970s, responding to research that demonstrated that free glutamic acid caused brain lesions and neuroendocrine disorders, with the greatest risk to infants and young children, baby food manufacturers "voluntarily" removed processed free glutamic acid (MSG) from baby food. More recently, others in the glutamate industry have have responded to consumer concerns by promoting products that carry the advertisement "No added MSG" on their labels -- even though those products contain processed free glutamic acid (MSG). A prime example is the Campbell Soup Company.
To facilitate compiling a list of ingredients that contain processed free glutamic acid (MSG), we refer you to the web site of the Truth in Labeling Campaign, where a list of ingredients reported to have caused adverse reactions in MSG-sensitive people will be found. Further, please be informed that the FDA has, in the past, analyzed products (not necessarily ingredients) for the benefit of the glutamate industry (Daniel H. Daniels, Frank L. Joe, Jr. and Gregory W. Diachenko. "Determination of free glutamic acid in a variety of foods by high-performance liquid chromatography." Food Additives and Contaminants 1995, Vol 12, No 1, 21-29), so there is no question that the methodology needed to accomplish analyzing ingredients for processed free glutamic acid (MSG) content is readily available to the FDA.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D.
Director
858/481-9333
858/481-9396 (fax)
adieonly@aol.com
_________________________
For a while, I call the Commissioner's office very week or so, but no who could respond to my questions was ever in, and no one returned my calls.
Truth in Labeling Campaign, P.O. Box 2532, Darien, IL 60561 adandjack@aol.com 858/481-9333 http://www.truthinlabeling.org
This page was last updated on February 11, 2001
RECOGNIZING OR DIAGNOSING MSG SENSITIVITY
Pinpointing MSG as a reaction trigger -- A list of the adverse reactions to MSG
THE CHEMICAL THAT TRIGGERS MSG SENSITIVITY REACTIONS
Truly natural glutamic acid does not contain contaminants -- Genetically engineered bacteria are used to make some MSG
A pork extract is used by Ajinomoto in some, if not all of its "monosodium glutamate."
Hidden in processed food -- Hidden in infant formula -- Sprayed on growing fruits, grains, and vegetables
(There have been reports of MSG reactions to produce)
Sprayed on California wine grapes -- Proposed for spray on organic crops and for use in organic food
Hidden in food with labels that say "No Added MSG," "No MSG Added," and "No MSG"
Falsely advertised as containing no MSG
An overview -- Selected references
Brain lesions -- Retinal degeneration -- Neuroendocrine disorders -- Human adverse reactions
The Glutamate Cascade": Addiction, stroke, epilepsy, degenerative disorders, brain trauma, neuropathic pain, schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression
MEET THE PEOPLE WHO PROFIT FROM THE SALE OF MSG
Industry's defenders of the safety of MSG -- Science for sale? -- Deceptive industry practices
THE POLITICS THAT PROMOTE THE UNREGULATED USE OF MSG
The FDA's next move -- <>FDA Refuses to Name Ingredients that Contain MSG -- How the game is play
JUST
THE FACTS: Things the "glutes" and their friends at
the EPA, FDA, and USDA don't want you to know.
CONSUMERS
TELL US THAT...
CONSUMER
ADVOCACY -- MAKING THINGS HAPPEN
The Truth in Labeling Campaign -- Getting involved -- Thinking of suing? -- Just the facts