If consuming monosodium glutamate (MSG) and its related substances is safe, then why do we need a “Cheeseburger Bill?” Otherwise known as the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act, (which has not yet become law so there’s still time…), the Cheeseburger Bill was initiated and passed by the House of Representatives to prevent people from suing fast food companies, manufacturers, advertisers, etc., for causing weight gain, obesity or any other associated health problem. Plainly stated, the government does not want you to sue any of these places for making you sick or fat. Now, I am all for personal responsibility when it comes to the food choices we make for ourselves. But, if we don’t know what’s in our food that’s making us sick and fat, is that our fault?
That’s where the FDA comes in. As mentioned in my previous post, shortly after MSG was introduced to the United States back in 1947, reports started showing up that maybe MSG and its relatives (monopotassium glutamate, glutamate, glutamic acid, gelatin, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, autolyzed plant protein, sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, textured protein, yeast extract, yeast food or nutrient and autolyzed yeast) weren’t so good for us. A quick search on the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed website for MSG returned 1120 results. Study after scientific study has come back tying MSG consumption with obesity and a host of other health problems. And yet the FDA, and hence, our government, still doesn’t think it’s a problem. Why? Well, it gets complicated and perhaps the answer lies with Big Agra and Big Pharma and the zillions of dollars they pump into political action committees.
With neurological disorders like autism, ADHD, and childhood obesity at an all-time high (and rising), we have to ask ourselves if our food supply is truly safe and who is (and should be) educating and protecting us. Who?
Something just isn’t right here. We have a right to know what is in our food so that we can make educated and informed decisions about what we do or do not eat.
I encourage everyone to read your food labels and avoid as many foods containing MSG and MSG-related ingredients. Vote with your dollars and don’t buy those products. I also encourage you to contact your local senators and congressmen and women to ask the FDA to take MSG off the market.
For further reading about what else Big Agra is doing with GMOs, check out the Get Your Gen Mo Out of My Food Yo series. You’ll be glad you did!
Read the MSG Series:
MSG by Any Other Name: Part II
Other posts by Amy Considine:
Get Real! Reclaiming Authenticity in an Artificial World
Eco-minded cultural creative (intellectual hippie) who truly believes that the sum total of seemingly small actions, or "eco-steps" can add up to make a huge and positive impact for our environment, our health, our happiness and our bank accounts!
Amy,
This brings to mind the tobacco industry’s decades of denial that their products are harmful …
Elizabeth
Insightful?:
0 
0
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for posting! Indeed, it does ring of tobacco industry denial. It also reminds me of the rally against trans fats and the controversy over the use of artificial sweeteners like aspartame. I think that the FDA is taking steps in the right direction, but there’s much, much left to do.
Best regards,
Amy
Insightful?:
0 
0
Absolutely. And they take an agonizingly long time to accomplish anything!
Insightful?:
0 
0
FDA recalls some foods with flavor enhancer HVP. (HVP = hydrolyzed vegetable protein = MSG)
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/04/flavor.enhancer.recall/index.html?hpt=Sbin
A step in the right direction… but much more to do!
Insightful?:
0 
0
Amy, I’m learning a lot from your posts. Thanks!
Tangential thought: ‘Cheeseburger Bill’ made me smile; because I immediately thought it was the name of a person and conjured up an image of the Jack in the Box Ping-Pong face guy! There could be some interesting marketing with the Cheeseburger Bill concept!
Cheers,
Kenda
Insightful?:
0 
0
[...] like). The Great American Meat Out is coming soon on Saturday, March 20th. As mentioned in previous posts, I know that people can get touchy when it comes to food, especially meat. But this post [...]
Insightful?:
0 
0
Hi All-
A great resource for more information about MSG: http://www.westonaprice.org/MSG-Updates/
Enjoy in good health!
Insightful?:
0 
0
Another very compelling article on the dangers of MSG:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/21/MSG-Is-This-Silent-Killer-Lurking-in-Your-Kitchen-Cabinets.aspx
Food for thought!
Insightful?:
0 
0