Campbell's Soup and MSG

[markemorse]

Hi all,

I was in America for awhile last month and ended up with a hellacious stomach flu. When I was on the mend, my sweet darling wife tried to go get me Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup, just like mom used to. We both frowned when we saw that it (and every other Campbell soup we saw) had MSG in it. Does anyone know if this has always been the case? I'm not anti-MSG, just wondrin' if that "home-cooked flavor" always came from the lab.

Thanks!

mark

Edited February 5, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[Nathan]

I don't know what you mean about "from the lab"

glutamates are naturally occurring and a significant factor (even the primary) in many "natural" foodstuffs. i.e. tomatoes, mushrooms, cheeses, etc.

[markemorse]

Thanks. By "from the lab", I mean MSG produced in enormous quantities under controlled conditions for use in the mass production of manufactured foods.

Edited February 5, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[Nathan]

when commercial msg (however it is extracted) is dissolved in water or in the digestive system....it is the same as any other glutamate.

[markemorse]

Thanks again. Do you have idea how long the commercial variety has been listed as an ingredient in Campbell's Soups?

[rlibkind]

It's not anything new. Been there for at least 20 or 30 years, maybe more.

[markemorse]

Thank you, that's what I was a-wonderin', since I believe at the time (let's say 60s and 70s) MSG was thought of as "that stuff in Chinese food", I was wondering if it was actually under our noses the whole time, we just weren't reading nutritional info back then. You know?

Anyway, thanks for attempting to answer the actual question.

mem

[LB Howes]

It's been in soups since I've been reading labels back in the 80s.

Naturally occuring glutamates add flavor to foods - think umami flavors. However the amount of MSG added to many processed foods is much higher than could ever occurr naturally. Added MSG is most definately "from the lab"!

This may be merely my opinion but to me it seems that manufacturers of processed foods add MSG to make up for using less rich stocks, fewer real spices, etc. in order to save money. Used to be that Progresso brand soups used to be made without MSG, but when Campbells bought the company a few years ago they added in the MSG - now almost all their soups contain MSG. If I want tinned soup I now buy Wolfgang Puck soups which have no added MSG.

[markemorse]

Hey LB,

Thanks. I'm actually a fan of MSG in some foods: Doritos (if Doritos can be considered "food"), and the processed fish salads over here (salmon, crab, eel)...it has a really specific taste that I crave sometimes, especially during a hangover, don't know why. Anyway, I just don't really love it in my chicken soup. . And I thought that my careful searching over here for canned soups without MSG was maybe a European quirk...guess not.

mark

[MarketStEl]

And I thought that my careful searching over here for canned soups without MSG was maybe a European quirk...guess not.

mark

←

Not at all, Mark. Not at all.

Though a quick skim through the conversation linked here should demonstrate that Americans are probably more conflicted on the subject than either Europeans (in one direction, maybe) or Japanese (in the other) are.

--Sandy, who keeps a jar of the stuff in his spice rack for those occasions when it's needed

[markemorse]

Sorry, that was a really terribly worded sentence by me. What I meant to say was: I thought that the difficulty of finding a canned soup without MSG was a European problem, since (as you said, Sandy) Americans seem to be more conflicted about it. I'm still not sure that I'm making sense, but Sandy what you said was right either way.

mark