Presidential Senior Advisor, Parliamentarian and Vasa Visa Nethi Ratak Programme Anushasaka Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera yesterday said a public disclosure and awareness programme should be initiated on the ill-effects of Monosodium glutamate (MSG), popularly known as Ajinomoto, which is widely use as food additives across the country.
Addressing a media briefing held in Colombo yesterday, Ven Rathana Thera said the Health Ministry had a responsibility to formulate regulations to prevent MSG from importing and using in Sri Lanka.
“MSG does not consist of any nutritional value, but it stimulates taste buds by exciting the brain cells. This is available under the variety of brand names all over the country,” the Thera said.
“MSG is now being used in large quantities for food preparation at restaurants, takeaway food outlets and household kitchens. This may harm people’s health. MSG is mostly added to the instant noodles, soya and savory foods, snacks, packet soups and potato chips,” Rathana Thera said.
The Thera said people get addicted to these foods due their strong flavour.
“Researchers have found several bad impacts of MSG on human health, including headache, facial pressure, chest pains, burning sensation, wheezing, and difficulty of breathing. A list of ingredients should be present on labels of products and customers should check the quantity of MSG added to the products,” the Thera said.
“Since Sri Lanka has a plenty of natural spices, there is no need for artificial additives. But people are addicted to most of the artificial flavours. That is why there is an increased demand for processed food. Our food culture is now focus on profit and not about people’s health,” the Thera said. The best option is to using natural ingredients instead of using artificial flavouiring. Sri Lanka reportedly imports nearly 2000 MT of MSG worth of Rs. 500 million annually, the Thera said.
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