A-master

WHO WOULD NEED ADVERTISING IF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL WOULD DO YOUR ADVERTISING FOR YOU?

Ms. McLaughlin told her readers that "...many studies have found that MSG doesn't cause ill effects." That's glutamate industry propaganda. The truth is that:

--All of these "many studies" were paid for by Ajinomoto or other members of the glutamate industry, and most, if not all, were designed by Ajinomoto's International Glutamate Technical Committee, which provided their researchers with placebos that contained neurotoxic amino acids.
--Every one of these "many studies" is badly flawed--even beyond the point of using neurotoxic amino acids in placebos--and, taken as a whole, these industry-sponsored studies are flawed to the point of being fraudulent. (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/TarasoffAndKelly.html)
--There are hundreds of studies that show that monosodium glutamate kills brain cells in laboratory animals and causes subsequent endocrine disorders like obesity and reproductive disorders (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/HowDoWeKnowMSGcauses.html). In fact, since the 1980s, researchers (neuroscientists) have been using monosodium glutamate when they want to kill certain brain cells in certain areas of the brain. For verification, please go to PubMed and enter the words "glutamic acid" and "toxic." Only some of the 880 references I found today are directly relevant. Typing in "glutamate" and "toxic" brought up 1744 reference.

Today, pharmaceutical companies are pouring millions of dollars into the development of drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease. To date, the drugs showing the most potential for successful treatment are glutamate blockers. Glutamate blockers. Drugs that block the effects of glutamate. Glutamate as is found in monosodium glutamate and other MSG containing food ingredients. Ms. McLaughlin didn't tell that side of the story.

Ms. McLaughlin told her readers that monosodium glutamate "is made through a complex process that involves fermenting corn glucose and other raw materials." That's only a half truth. Why didn't Ms. McLaughlin tell her readers that today most monosodium glutamate is made using carefully selected genetically modified bacteria which excrete glutamic acid through their cell walls? That sounds kind of gross, doesn't it? And things that are "genetically modified" aren't popular right now, either. For verification you'll want to review Ajinomoto's many patents.

Ms. McLaughlin noted that monosodium glutamate's bad reputation as a suspicious additive may have come from consumers' beliefs that monosodium glutamate gives them allergies or headaches. That's another half truth. Besides causing brain damage and subsequent endocrine disorders like gross obesity, monosodium glutamate is known to cause migraine headache, asthma, heart irregularities, irritable bowel syndrome, seizures, rage reactions, retinal degeneration, behavior disorders, depression and more.

Ms. McLaughlin talked about umami's acceptance as a fifth taste. But who has really accepted it? Many of the badly flawed studies done by Ajinomoto Company and friends have been published in the one or two journals that will still publish their badly flawed studies. In those publications, they claim to have demonstrated that monosodium glutamate is "safe." That doesn't mean that what they say is true. Neither does it follow that because industry-sponsored researchers publish a study that says that umami is a fifth taste, what they say is true. How could it possibly be true? Wouldn't MSG-sensitive people avoid processed foods that contained the processed free glutamic acid (MSG) found in monosodium glutamate and a variety of other processed food ingredients if they could taste it? Of course they would. Which tells us that they can't taste it.

<>Finally, let me tell you about the out and out lie--not just a half truth--that Ms. McLaughlin passes on to her readers. In general, in the article, processed free glutamic acid (MSG) (which causes adverse reactions) is confused with glutamic acid found in unadulterated protein (which does not cause adverse reactions). Confusing the two in order to confuse consumers is a favorite ploy of the glutamate industry. Creating the confusion is deceptive and misleading, but it's not an outright lie. But Ms. McLaughlin goes on to say that "the glutamate in [real] food is the same as the glutamate in [monosodium glutamate], and that's a bold faced lie--and, incidentally, Ajinomoto Company knows it. For detail, please see http://www.truthinlabeling.org/HowIsItManufactured.html, http://www.truthinlabeling.org/III.What%20is%20MSG.html, http://www.truthinlabeling.org/manufac.html, and the various references found in those papers. Should you have further interest, both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Truth in Labeling Campaign have in hand copies of a report from Ajinomoto Company discussing the contaminants found in their monosodium glutamate.

Please see the following portion of my story:

"Some of the biggest promoters of the idea that there are umami-rich alternatives to MSG in many foods we eat are MSG makers themselves. A consortium of MSG manufacturers, led by Ajinomoto, sponsors the Tokyo-based Umami Manufacturers Association. The group hosts conferences about umami and publishes a Web site in English featuring MSG-free umami recipes.

"We are hoping that eventually people will become familiar with why this flavor enhancer is in our food -- well, because it's giving my food the taste that I like," says Kitty Broihier, a consultant for Ajinomoto Food Ingredients, a Chicago-based subsidiary of Ajinomoto. By emphasizing that the glutamate in food is the same as the glutamate in MSG, makers hope to make people think of MSG as a more natural ingredient."

Sources for the story included a broad range of scientists, industry executives, and chefs. All research that was funded in part by Ajinomoto or other ingredient companies was identified. I feel the story was very clear in explaining where information came from.

You owe your readers an apology for dressing up glutamate industry propaganda and passing it off as news.

Where, pray tell, did you get the information for your article "A New Taste Sensation?" Did it come from the Ajinomoto Company, Inc, from their Glutamate Association, their International Glutamate Technical Committee, the International Food Information Council, or one of their other agents? Did you even look at the Web page of the Truth in Labeling Campaign (www.truthinlabeling.org) before you submitted your article for publication? Did you read the peer reviewed article on that Web page that details how the glutamate industry uses people like you to promote their product? www.truthinlabeling.org/l-manuscript.html) An abstract of that article follows.

You have done a terrible disservice to your readers.

Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D.

Truth in Labeling Campaign

_________________________________________

I really appreciate your very prompt reply to my e-mail of December 9.

I guess I didn't make myself clear when I said that you owe your readers an apology for dressing up glutamate industry propaganda and passing it off as news, and asked where your got your information. My point was that you owe your readers an apology for dressing up glutamate industry propaganda and passing it off as news. Whether you realized it at the time or not, that's exactly what you did. You took propaganda from glutamate industry sources, either in one large chunk or in pieces, and, it would appear, you never questioned any of their assertions.

I don't know why you chose to submit the "The New Taste Sensation" for publication, and that's your business. Know, however, that on the whole your article was deceptive and misleading, even including a bold face lie. And given the fact that my husband has a life-threatening sensitivity to ingestion of even small amounts of processed free glutamic acid (MSG), and that for the last 17 years I have worked hard to tell MSG-sensitive consumers the truth about the hazards of processed free glutamic acid (MSG) and to help them avoid the substance, I consider an educated journalist writing an article like "The New Taste Sensation" to be immoral.

If you are satisfied with what you have done, so be it. If you are interested in learning something, I suggest you read the peer reviewed article that details how the glutamate industry uses people like you, and print and on-line media like The Wall Street Journal, to promote their product (www.truthinlabeling.org/l-manuscript.html) The article's abstract follows at the end of this letter.

In your article, you told your readers that "...many studies have found that MSG doesn't cause ill effects." That's glutamate industry propaganda. The truth is that:

--All of these "many studies" were paid for by Ajinomoto or other members of the glutamate industry, and most, if not all, were designed by Ajinomoto's International Glutamate Technical Committee, which provided their researchers with placebos that contained neurotoxic amino acids.
--Every one of these "many studies" is badly flawed--even beyond the point of using neurotoxic amino acids in placebos--and, taken as a whole, these industry-sponsored studies are flawed to the point of being fraudulent. (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/TarasoffAndKelly.html)
--There are hundreds of studies that show that monosodium glutamate kills brain cells in laboratory animals and causes subsequent endocrine disorders like obesity and reproductive disorders (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/HowDoWeKnowMSGcauses.html). In fact, since the 1980s, researchers (neuroscientists) have been using monosodium glutamate when they want to kill certain brain cells in certain areas of the brain. For verification, please go to PubMed and enter the words "glutamic acid" and "toxic." Only some of the 880 references I found today are directly relevant. Typing in "glutamate" and "toxic" brought up 1744 references. The following is but one example:

From: Neurotox Res. 2007 Sep;12(2):85-93.

Changes in open-field activity and novelty-seeking behavior in periadolescent rats neonatally treated with monosodium glutamate.

Kiss P, Hauser D, Tamás A, Lubics A, Rácz B, Horvath ZS, Farkas J, Zimmermann F, Stepien A, Lengvari I, Reglódi D.

Department of Anatomy, University of Pecs, Medical Faculty, Hungary.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) treatment of neonatal rodents leads to degeneration of the neurons in the arcuate nucleus, inner retinal layers and various other brain areas. It also causes various changes in the motor activity, sensory performance and learning abilities. We have previously shown that MSG treatment delays the appearance of some reflexes during neurobehavioral development and leads to temporary changes in reflex performance and motor coordination. Investigation of novelty-seeking behavior is of growing importance for its relationship with sensitivity to psychomotor stimulants. Perinatal administration of numerous toxic agents has been shown to influence novelty-seeking behavior in rats, but little is known about the influence of neonatal MSG treatment on the novelty-seeking behavior. The aim of the present study was to compare changes in locomotor, spontaneous exploratory and novelty-seeking behavior in periadolescent rats neonatally treated with MSG. Newborn rats were treated with 4 mg/g MSG subcutaneously on postnatal days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. Open-field behavior was tested at 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age. We found that MSG administration led to only temporary increases in locomotor behavior, which was more pronounced during the first few postnatal weeks, followed by a subtle hypoactivity at 2 months of age. Novelty-seeking was tested in four 5-min trials at 3 weeks of age. Trial 1 was in an empty open-field, two identical objects were placed in the arena during trial 2 and 3, and one of them was replaced to a novel object during trial 4. We found that the behavioral pattern of MSG-treated rats was the opposite in all tested signs in the novelty exploration test compared to control pups. In summary, our present study shows that neonatal MSG treatment leads to early temporary changes in the locomotor activity followed by hypoactivity at 2 months of age. Furthermore, MSG-treated rats show a markedly disturbed novelty-seeking behavior represented by altered activity when subjected to a novel object.

PMID: 17967732 [PubMed - in process]

--There are fewer, but significant, human studies that demonstrate that processed free glutamic acid (MSG) found in monosodium glutamate and various other food ingredients causes adverse reactions in humans. (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/UnwantedAdverseReactions.html)

You told your readers that monosodium glutamate "is made through a complex process that involves fermenting corn glucose and other raw materials." That's only a half truth. Today most monosodium glutamate is made using carefully selected genetically modified bacteria which excrete glutamic acid thru their cell walls? That sounds kind of gross, doesn't it? And things that are "genetically modified" aren't popular right now, either. For verification you'll want to review Ajinomoto's many patents.

You noted that monosodium glutamate's bad reputation as a suspicious additive may have come from consumers' beliefs that monosodium glutamate gives them allergies or headaches. That's another half truth. Besides causing brain damage and subsequent endocrine disorders like gross obesity, monosodium glutamate is known to cause migraine headache, asthma, heart irregularities, irritable bowel syndrome, seizures, rage reactions, retinal degeneration, behavior disorders, depression and more.

You talked about umami's acceptance as a fifth taste. But who has really accepted it? Many of the badly flawed studies done by Ajinomoto Company and friends have been published in the one or two journals that will still publish their badly flawed studies. In those publications, they claim to have demonstrated that monosodium glutamate is "safe." That doesn't mean that what they say is true. Neither does it follow that because industry-sponsored researchers publish a study that says that umami is a fifth taste, what they say is true. How could it possibly be true? Wouldn't MSG-sensitive people avoid processed foods that contained the processed free glutamic acid (MSG) found in monosodium glutamate and a variety of other processed food ingredients if they could taste it? Of course they would. Which tells us that they can't taste it.

Finally, let me tell you about the out and out lie--not just a half truth--that you have passed on to your readers. In general, in the article, processed free glutamic acid (MSG) (which causes adverse reactions) is confused with glutamic acid found in unadulterated protein (which does not cause adverse reactions). Confusing the two in order to confuse consumers is a favorite ploy of the glutamate industry. Creating the confusion is deceptive and misleading, but it's not an outright lie. But you go on to say that "the glutamate in [real] food is the same as the glutamate in [monosodium glutamate], and that's a bold faced lie--and, incidentally, Ajinomoto Company knows it. For detail, please see http://www.truthinlabeling.org/HowIsItManufactured.html, http://www.truthinlabeling.org/III.What%20is%20MSG.html, http://www.truthinlabeling.org/manufac.html, and the various references found in those papers. Should you have further interest, both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Truth in Labeling Campaign have in hand copies of a report from Ajinomoto Company discussing the contaminants found in their monosodium glutamate.

If you have interest in perusing this further, and/or in redressing the damage that you have done to naive consumers, I would be pleased to work with you to sort out truth from fiction and fact from propaganda.

Very truly yours,

Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D.

Director

Truth in Labeling Campaign

_________________________________________

THE TOXICITY/SAFETY OF PROCESSED FREE GLUTAMIC ACID (MSG):
A STUDY IN SUPPRESSION OF INFORMATION

Abstract: Every company interested in promoting its product should attempt to convince its clients that its product is worth buying. However, "selective" collection and reporting of research data would be inappropriate. "Selective" collection and reporting of research data, including suppression of information contrary to that which is espoused by the industry in question, is the subject of this paper. Using promotion of the flavor-enhancing ingredient called monosodium glutamate, and its active component (variously referred to as processed free glutamic acid or MSG) as a case study, this paper presents the case against the safety of MSG and looks at the work of the defenders of the safety of MSG. The structure of the industry organization; an overview of their research; suppression of information; dissemination of misinformation; dirty tricks; and the special role of agencies of the United States government will be considered.

<> Samuels, A. Accountability in Research (1999) Vol 6, pp. 259-310.

Subj:	"A New Taste Sensation"
Date:	12/10/2007 3:21:22 P.M. Central Standard Time
From:
To:	wsj.ltrs@wsj.com
BCC:

To the Editor

I understand that readership is dwindling and advertising revenues have dropped, but are things so bad at the Wall Street Journal that you are reduced to dressing up glutamate industry propaganda and calling it news?

Your article, "A New Taste Sensation," is nothing more or less than that--straight glutamate-industry propaganda. It is obvious to me that it came from the Ajinomoto Company, Inc, from their Glutamate Association, their International Glutamate Technical Committee, their Ajinomoto Food Ingredients subsidiary, the International Food Information Council, or one of their other agents. I'm sure that Kathy McLaughlin, whose name appeared with the article, never questioned the material that was given to her by her sources, or looked at the Web page of the Truth in Labeling Campaign (www.truthinlabeling.org) before she submitted her article for publication. I'm sure she never read the peer reviewed article on that Web page that details how the glutamate industry uses people like Ms. McLaughlin and print and on-line media like The Wall Street Journal to promote their product (www.truthinlabeling.org/l-manuscript.html) An abstract of that article follows.

You owe your readers an apology for dressing up glutamate industry propaganda and passing it off as news. An immediate apology starting on the first page of Section W of the Weekend Edition of The Wall Street Journal, and a comparable apology on-line would be a start. You could follow that up with a page and a half article that tells the truth about the hazards of monosodium glutamate and other MSG containing ingredients. That would be roughly comparable to the space you gave to Ajinomoto and friends for propaganda. You might start by reviewing how the "glutes" have manipulated/controlled the media since The Wall Street Journal's Bruce Ingersol covered the 1991 "60 Minutes" segment on MSG; explain that the glutamate in monosodium glutamate and other ingredients that contain MSG always contains contaminants, and, therefore, differs from the glutamate found in unadulterated protein; tell the story of how the "glutes" invented "clean labels" to hide MSG from consumers; look at glutamate industry-style falsification of data (including, but not limited to use of neurotoxic amino acids in placebos) and end up with interviews of people who suffer MSG-induced asthma, irritable bowel, migraine headache, heart irregularities, seizures, depression or other MSG-induced reactions following ingestion of MSG that they can't taste.

Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D.

Director

Truth in Labeling Campaign

_________________________________________

THE TOXICITY/SAFETY OF PROCESSED FREE GLUTAMIC ACID (MSG):
A STUDY IN SUPPRESSION OF INFORMATION

Eben Shapiro

Weekend Journal Editor

Re: Glutamate-industry propaganda

Are you the person responsible for dressing up or approving glutamate industry propaganda, calling it news, and publishing it, both in print and on-line? Your December 8, 2007 page and a half article, "A New Taste Sensation," is nothing more or less than carefully orchestrated glutamate-industry propaganda. It is obvious to me that the material you used came from the Ajinomoto Company, Inc, from their Glutamate Association, their International Glutamate Technical Committee, their Ajinomoto Food Ingredients subsidiary, the International Food Information Council, and/or one of their other agents. It is also obvious that no one at The Wall Street Journal questioned the material that was given to you by your sources, or looked at the Web page of the Truth in Labeling Campaign (www.truthinlabeling.org). I would guess you never read the peer reviewed article that details how the glutamate industry uses people like you and Ms. McLaughlin and print and on-line media like The Wall Street Journal to promote their product (www.truthinlabeling.org/l-manuscript.html) The article's abstract follows at the end of this letter.

You owe your readers an apology for dressing up glutamate industry propaganda and passing it off as news. An immediate apology starting on the first page of Section W of the Weekend Edition of The Wall Street Journal, and a comparable apology on-line would be a start. You could follow that up with a page and a half article that tells the truth about the hazards of monosodium glutamate and other MSG containing ingredients. That would be roughly comparable to the space you gave to Ajinomoto and friends for propaganda. You might start by reviewing how the "glutes" have manipulated/controlled the media since The Wall Street Journal's Bruce Ingersol covered the 1991 "60 Minutes" segment on MSG; then explain that the glutamate in monosodium glutamate and other ingredients that contain MSG always contains contaminants, and, therefore, differs from the glutamate found in unadulterated protein; tell the story of how the "glutes" invented "clean labels" to hide MSG from consumers; look at glutamate industry-style falsification of data (including, but not limited to, use of neurotoxic amino acids in placebos); and end up with interviews of people who suffer MSG-induced asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine headache, heart irregularities, seizures, depression or other MSG-induced reactions following ingestion of MSG that they can't taste.

Don't you people check your sources? Ms. McLaughlin told her readers that "...many studies have found that MSG doesn't cause ill effects." That's glutamate industry propaganda. The truth is that:

--All of these "many studies" were paid for by Ajinomoto or other members of the glutamate industry, and most, if not all, were designed by Ajinomoto's International Glutamate Technical Committee, which provided their researchers with placebos that contained neurotoxic amino acids.
--Every one of these "many studies" is badly flawed--even beyond the point of using neurotoxic amino acids in placebos--and, taken as a whole, these industry-sponsored studies are flawed to the point of being fraudulent. (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/TarasoffAndKelly.html)
--There are hundreds of studies that show that monosodium glutamate kills brain cells in laboratory animals and causes subsequent endocrine disorders like obesity and reproductive disorders (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/HowDoWeKnowMSGcauses.html). In fact, since the 1980s, researchers (neuroscientists) have been using monosodium glutamate when they want to kill certain brain cells in certain areas of the brain. For verification, please go to PubMed and enter the words "glutamic acid" and "toxic." Only some of the 880 references I found today are directly relevant. Typing in "glutamate" and "toxic" brought up 1744 references. The following is but one example:

From: Neurotox Res. 2007 Sep;12(2):85-93.

Changes in open-field activity and novelty-seeking behavior in periadolescent rats neonatally treated with monosodium glutamate.

Kiss P, Hauser D, Tamás A, Lubics A, Rácz B, Horvath ZS, Farkas J, Zimmermann F, Stepien A, Lengvari I, Reglódi D.

Department of Anatomy, University of Pecs, Medical Faculty, Hungary.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) treatment of neonatal rodents leads to degeneration of the neurons in the arcuate nucleus, inner retinal layers and various other brain areas. It also causes various changes in the motor activity, sensory performance and learning abilities. We have previously shown that MSG treatment delays the appearance of some reflexes during neurobehavioral development and leads to temporary changes in reflex performance and motor coordination. Investigation of novelty-seeking behavior is of growing importance for its relationship with sensitivity to psychomotor stimulants. Perinatal administration of numerous toxic agents has been shown to influence novelty-seeking behavior in rats, but little is known about the influence of neonatal MSG treatment on the novelty-seeking behavior. The aim of the present study was to compare changes in locomotor, spontaneous exploratory and novelty-seeking behavior in periadolescent rats neonatally treated with MSG. Newborn rats were treated with 4 mg/g MSG subcutaneously on postnatal days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. Open-field behavior was tested at 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age. We found that MSG administration led to only temporary increases in locomotor behavior, which was more pronounced during the first few postnatal weeks, followed by a subtle hypoactivity at 2 months of age. Novelty-seeking was tested in four 5-min trials at 3 weeks of age. Trial 1 was in an empty open-field, two identical objects were placed in the arena during trial 2 and 3, and one of them was replaced to a novel object during trial 4. We found that the behavioral pattern of MSG-treated rats was the opposite in all tested signs in the novelty exploration test compared to control pups. In summary, our present study shows that neonatal MSG treatment leads to early temporary changes in the locomotor activity followed by hypoactivity at 2 months of age. Furthermore, MSG-treated rats show a markedly disturbed novelty-seeking behavior represented by altered activity when subjected to a novel object.

PMID: 17967732 [PubMed - in process]

--There are fewer, but significant, human studies that demonstrate that processed free glutamic acid (MSG) found in monosodium glutamate and various other food ingredients causes adverse reactions in humans. (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/UnwantedAdverseReactions.html)

Ms. McLaughlin told her readers that monosodium glutamate "is made through a complex process that involves fermenting corn glucose and other raw materials." That's only a half truth. Why didn't Ms. McLaughlin tell her readers that today most monosodium glutamate is made using carefully selected genetically modified bacteria which excrete glutamic acid thru their cell walls? That sounds kind of gross, doesn't it? And things that are "genetically modified" aren't popular right now, either. For verification you'll want to review Ajinomoto's many patents.

Finally, let me tell you about the out and out lie--not just a half truth--that Ms. McLaughlin passes on to her readers. In general, in the article, processed free glutamic acid (MSG) (which causes adverse reactions) is confused with glutamic acid found in unadulterated protein (which does not cause adverse reactions). Confusing the two in order to confuse consumers is a favorite ploy of the glutamate industry. Creating the confusion is deceptive and misleading, but it's not an outright lie. But Ms. McLaughlin goes on to say that "the glutamate in [real] food is the same as the glutamate in [monosodium glutamate], and that's a bold faced lie--and, incidentally, Ajinomoto Company knows it. For detail, please see http://www.truthinlabeling.org/HowIsItManufactured.html, http://www.truthinlabeling.org/III.What%20is%20MSG.html, http://www.truthinlabeling.org/manufac.html, and the various references found in those papers. Should you have further interest, both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Truth in Labeling Campaign have in hand copies of a report from Ajinomoto Company discussing the contaminants found in their monosodium glutamate.

Respectfully submitted,

Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D.

Director

Truth in Labeling Campaign

_________________________________________

THE TOXICITY/SAFETY OF PROCESSED FREE GLUTAMIC ACID (MSG):
A STUDY IN SUPPRESSION OF INFORMATION

Samuels, A. Accountability in Research (1999) Vol 6, pp. 259-310.

Does The Wall Street Journal sanction dressing up industry propaganda and passing it off as news? Your article "A New Taste Sensation" (December 8, 2007) was exactly that. I'd just like to know what the rules are.

Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D.

Truth in Labeling Campaign

www.truthinlabeling.org

Forwarded Message:

Subj:	glutamate industry propaganda: "A New Taste Sensation"
Date:	12/11/2007 9:47:38 P.M. Central Standard Time
From:
To:	j.heller@wsj.com
CC:
BCC:

Please send this on to Alan Murray. Mail sent to his e-mail address has been returned to me.

____________________________________________________________

Alan Murray

Executive Editor

The Wall Street Journal Online

Mr. Murray:

Your December 8, 2007 article, "A New Taste Sensation," is nothing more or less than carefully orchestrated glutamate-industry propaganda dressed up as news. It is obvious to me that the material you used came from the Ajinomoto Company, Inc, from their Glutamate Association, their International Glutamate Technical Committee, their Ajinomoto Food Ingredients subsidiary, the International Food Information Council, and/or one of their other agents. It is also obvious that no one at The Wall Street Journal questioned the material that was given to you by your sources, or looked at the Web page of the Truth in Labeling Campaign (www.truthinlabeling.org). I would guess you never read the peer reviewed article that details how the glutamate industry uses people like you and Ms. McLaughlin and print and on-line media like The Wall Street Journal to promote their product (www.truthinlabeling.org/l-manuscript.html) The article's abstract follows at the end of this letter.

I would suggest that you owe your readers an apology for dressing up glutamate industry propaganda and passing it off as news. An immediate apology would be appreciated. The apology could be followed with an article that tells the truth about the hazards of monosodium glutamate and other MSG containing ingredients, making that article roughly comparable in size to "A New Taste Sensation," i.e., to the propaganda piece you did for Ajinomoto Company and friends. You might start by reviewing how the "glutes" have manipulated/controlled the media since The Wall Street Journal's Bruce Ingersol covered the 1991 "60 Minutes" segment on MSG; then explain that the glutamate in monosodium glutamate and other ingredients that contain MSG always contains contaminants, and, therefore, differs from the glutamate found in unadulterated protein; tell the story of how the "glutes" invented "clean labels" to hide MSG from consumers; look at glutamate industry-style falsification of data (including, but not limited to, use of neurotoxic amino acids in placebos); and end up with interviews of people who suffer MSG-induced asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine headache, heart irregularities, seizures, depression or other MSG-induced reactions following ingestion of MSG that they can't taste.

Don't you people check your sources? Ms. McLaughlin told her readers that "...many studies have found that MSG doesn't cause ill effects." That's glutamate industry propaganda. The truth is that:

--All of these "many studies" were paid for by Ajinomoto or other members of the glutamate industry, and most, if not all, were designed by Ajinomoto's International Glutamate Technical Committee, which provided their researchers with placebos that contained neurotoxic amino acids.
--Every one of these "many studies" is badly flawed--even beyond the point of using neurotoxic amino acids in placebos--and, taken as a whole, these industry-sponsored studies are flawed to the point of being fraudulent. (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/TarasoffAndKelly.html)
--There are hundreds of studies that show that monosodium glutamate kills brain cells in laboratory animals and causes subsequent endocrine disorders like obesity and reproductive disorders (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/HowDoWeKnowMSGcauses.html). In fact, since the 1980s, researchers (neuroscientists) have been using monosodium glutamate when they want to kill certain brain cells in certain areas of the brain. For verification, please go to PubMed and enter the words "glutamic acid" and "toxic." Only some of the 880 references I found today are directly relevant. Typing in "glutamate" and "toxic" brought up 1744 references. The following is but one example:

From: Neurotox Res. 2007 Sep;12(2):85-93.

Changes in open-field activity and novelty-seeking behavior in periadolescent rats neonatally treated with monosodium glutamate.

Kiss P, Hauser D, Tamás A, Lubics A, Rácz B, Horvath ZS, Farkas J, Zimmermann F, Stepien A, Lengvari I, Reglódi D.

Department of Anatomy, University of Pecs, Medical Faculty, Hungary.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) treatment of neonatal rodents leads to degeneration of the neurons in the arcuate nucleus, inner retinal layers and various other brain areas. It also causes various changes in the motor activity, sensory performance and learning abilities. We have previously shown that MSG treatment delays the appearance of some reflexes during neurobehavioral development and leads to temporary changes in reflex performance and motor coordination. Investigation of novelty-seeking behavior is of growing importance for its relationship with sensitivity to psychomotor stimulants. Perinatal administration of numerous toxic agents has been shown to influence novelty-seeking behavior in rats, but little is known about the influence of neonatal MSG treatment on the novelty-seeking behavior. The aim of the present study was to compare changes in locomotor, spontaneous exploratory and novelty-seeking behavior in periadolescent rats neonatally treated with MSG. Newborn rats were treated with 4 mg/g MSG subcutaneously on postnatal days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. Open-field behavior was tested at 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age. We found that MSG administration led to only temporary increases in locomotor behavior, which was more pronounced during the first few postnatal weeks, followed by a subtle hypoactivity at 2 months of age. Novelty-seeking was tested in four 5-min trials at 3 weeks of age. Trial 1 was in an empty open-field, two identical objects were placed in the arena during trial 2 and 3, and one of them was replaced to a novel object during trial 4. We found that the behavioral pattern of MSG-treated rats was the opposite in all tested signs in the novelty exploration test compared to control pups. In summary, our present study shows that neonatal MSG treatment leads to early temporary changes in the locomotor activity followed by hypoactivity at 2 months of age. Furthermore, MSG-treated rats show a markedly disturbed novelty-seeking behavior represented by altered activity when subjected to a novel object.

PMID: 17967732 [PubMed - in process]

--There are fewer, but significant, human studies that demonstrate that processed free glutamic acid (MSG) found in monosodium glutamate and various other food ingredients causes adverse reactions in humans. (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/UnwantedAdverseReactions.html)

Ms. McLaughlin told her readers that monosodium glutamate "is made through a complex process that involves fermenting corn glucose and other raw materials." That's only a half truth. Why didn't Ms. McLaughlin tell her readers that today most monosodium glutamate is made using carefully selected genetically modified bacteria which excrete glutamic acid thru their cell walls? That sounds kind of gross, doesn't it? And things that are "genetically modified" aren't popular right now, either. For verification you'll want to review Ajinomoto's many patents.

Finally, let me tell you about the out and out lie--not just a half truth--that Ms. McLaughlin passed on to her readers. In general, in the article, processed free glutamic acid (MSG) (which causes adverse reactions) is confused with glutamic acid found in unadulterated protein (which does not cause adverse reactions). Confusing the two in order to confuse consumers is a favorite ploy of the glutamate industry. Creating the confusion is deceptive and misleading, but it's not an outright lie. But Ms. McLaughlin goes on to say that "the glutamate in [real] food is the same as the glutamate in [monosodium glutamate], and that's a bold faced lie--and, incidentally, Ajinomoto Company knows it. For detail, please see http://www.truthinlabeling.org/HowIsItManufactured.html, http://www.truthinlabeling.org/III.What%20is%20MSG.html, http://www.truthinlabeling.org/manufac.html, and the various references found in those papers. Should you have further interest, both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Truth in Labeling Campaign have in hand copies of a report from Ajinomoto Company discussing the contaminants found in their monosodium glutamate.

I do hope you will find it in your heart to set the record straight.

Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D.

Director

Truth in Labeling Campaign

_________________________________________

THE TOXICITY/SAFETY OF PROCESSED FREE GLUTAMIC ACID (MSG):
A STUDY IN SUPPRESSION OF INFORMATION

Samuels, A. Accountability in Research (1999) Vol 6, pp. 259-310.