A client of mine has been having strange reactions, so we started looking more closely at her daily foods. One of her favorite products is Morning Star’s Veggie Bacon Strips. My client is sensitive to MSG, breastfeeding and pregnant with her second child. I recently wrote a blog listing the aliases that MSG-like ingredients can be listed on foods, and my antennae went up.
On the list of ingredients were a few red flags, so we gave Morning Star (owned by food giant Kellogg’s) a call to ask some questions. The main suspect: Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein.
After being placed on hold by a very nice customer service representative, this is what Morning Star/Kellogg’s told me:
“We don’t put MSG in our products because the FDA would require us to label that the products contains MSG.
HOWEVER, the bacon (and other products) do contain HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN which contain “free glutamates” and can cause similar reactions in people who are sensitive to MSG.”
So, it’s not MSG, but it’s enough like MSG that people who can’t eat MSG shouldn’t eat it?!! Confusing and misrepresentative. The FDA considers labels such as “No MSG” or “No Added MSG” to be misleading if the food contains ingredients that are sources of free glutamate, such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein.
Here are just a few symptoms associated with MSG sensitivity:
- Burning sensation at the back of the neck and radiating down the arms and chest
- Tingling and numbness in the same areas
- Itchy eyes
- Headache
- Nausea
- Occasionally, difficulty breathing, especially in those with poorly controlled asthma
I just wanted to remind everyone to be your own best friend and become a food detective, especially when you’re eating anything out of a box.
Be well, eat safely,
Alexandra
