Birth of the MSG
Which group of customers in Japan became the biggest buyers of MSG when it was first marketed?
Housewives
Which country, formerly a Japanese colony, saw MSG spread first through street stalls and small eateries?
Taiwan
Which American food company helped introduce MSG into industrial food production by using it in canned soups during the 1930s?
Campbell’s Soup Company
Before the company rebranded MSG as 'umami seasoning' in 1982 to make it sound more natural, what industrial-sounding term (negative term) was the standard name for the product in Japan?
Chemical Seasoning
Which of the following is considered the fifth basic taste, characterized by a savory or meaty flavor?
Umami
Why was MSG rejected or resisted in China during its early introduction by Japan?
MSG was resisted in China because the product became a symbol of Japanese imperialism and aggression, leading to nationalist protests and boycotts in favor of domestic alternatives.
What term was created in the United States in 1968 to describe symptoms some people claimed to feel after eating Chinese food with MSG?
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome
What new name did Japanese companies start using for MSG in 1982 to replace the negative impression?
Umami Seasoning
This brand name, meaning “essence of taste,” was first marketed in 1909.
Ajinomoto
Which company in China promoted its MSG as the “national taste essence” to encourage patriotism?
Tian Chu
Who was the Chinese-American doctor that wrote the famous 1968 letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, claiming he experienced a strange syndrome whenever he ate at Chinese restaurants?
Robert Ho Man Kwok
How did Ajinomoto change its visual advertising in the 1980s to fight the negative chemical reputation of MSG?
The company shifted from showing industrial factories and smokestacks to displaying natural images like coral, wheat, and a breastfeeding infant
What was one of the Corporate Strategy Elements
Product Diversification/Scientific Validation/Cultural Reconnection