By Adekunle Yusuf
Determined to erase lingering negative perceptions about the safety of its product, the West African Seasoning Company Limited (WASCO), makers of AJI-NO-MOTO, a food seasoning, has taken safety awareness campaign about the food seasoning to the Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN).
In its renewed awareness drive, WASCO said it has continued to use various platforms, including engagement with key stakeholders in the media, medical profession, food science and technology, women groups, traditional rulers, among others, to raise awareness about the safety of the Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) food seasoning.
According to the company, AJI-NO-MOTO, which has been in existence for over 100 years, is consumed in over 130 countries because it is not only safe for human consumption; it also enhances taste and increases deliciousness of food.
Speaking at the 10th annual symposium/award ceremony of HEWAN, which held recently in Lagos, WASCO’s Head of Marketing, Mr. Isah Hassan Shallangwa, provided more safety facts about AJI-NO-MOTO as a seasoning product.
While stressing that Nigerians should not entertain any fear consuming it, he said erroneous assumptions and insinuations about the safety of the product have sparked hundreds of research around the world, with the findings of each researcher validating the safety and health benefits of AJI-NO-MOTO. He told Nigeria’s health writers drawn from the print, broadcast and online media that the seasoning product is 100 per cent safe for human consumption, contrary to negative rumours.
While reiterating that the safety of the product has long been scientifically proven and its safety approved by authorised agencies of the United Nations, Shallangwa said WASCO was committed to bringing out the natural taste in cooking through safe and cost-effective seasonings, urging the health writers to dispel any myth or misconception about AJI-NO-MOTO through their write-ups based on verifiable facts. He added that the seasoning product is simply made from sugarcane through the natural process of fermentation.
“The benefits of the seasoning include enhancing and promoting the deliciousness of our meals; it is economical; it reduces salt intake and it is rich in glutamate, one of the free amino acids.
Almost all seasonings contain MSG. Umami substance is present in most natural foods such as meat, seafood, vegetables, cheese and milk. Glutamate is also abundant in breast milk. Umami seasoning enhances the taste of dishes and is a universal taste.
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It is one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter. We have a lot of glutamate in our local foods. Iru, for instance, is umami. When you take iru, you take a lot of glutamates,” Shallangwa explained.
In her response, the President of HEWAN, Mrs. Chioma Obinna, commended WASCO for enlightening the public by providing consumers with factual information about the product, adding that health writers in the country value facts because the soul of their profession lies in facts.
“This awareness is a welcome development. A lot of our members have today been sensitised about the safety of your product.
Now that the company has partnered with us for awareness creation, we are very happy. It is now our duty to take the information to the public,” she said.
While commending health writers in the country for valuing facts above fictions, WASCO’s Corporate Communication Officer, Mrs. Francisca Ikediashi, promised that the company remains committed working with journalists and all relevant stakeholders in dispelling rumours and insinuations, which can mislead the public about the “benefits and safety of a product that has become a household name in food seasoning in Nigeria and other parts of the world.”
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