AJINOMOTO Foods Nigeria Limited, an affiliate of a global food giant, Ajinomoto, makers of AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami food seasoning, has tasked Lagos residents with healthy living and low consumption of salt to reduce the risk of hypertension and other non-communicable diseases.
The firm said the use of AJI-NO-MOTO® food seasoning, a monosodium glutamate—a major kind of amino acid that enhances Umami taste—promotes healthy living by enhancing the flavour of food and reducing excessive salt consumption.
The company said the awareness was part of its efforts to improve nutrition through the reduction of salt while maintaining or enhancing flavour, which it noted supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2 for Zero Hunger and 3 for Good Health and Well-Being.
Speaking at the 13th Annual Symposium & Awards Ceremony of the Health Writers Association of Nigeria, HEWAN, held in Lagos recently, Corporate Communications Manager of Ajinomoto Foods Nigeria Limited, Francisca Ikediashi, said people should avoid excessive salt intake, citing health reasons.
Ikediashi said the company had continually and significantly contributed to the promotion of good health and good culinary practice for healthy living of all families through the provision of nutritional seasoning products and other products of high quality to its consumers.
The manager noted that the safety of AJI-NO-MOTO had long been scientifically proved and its safety was approved by authorised agencies of the United Nations, saying that umami translates into “deliciousness, and the term was named in 1908 by a Japanese scientist, Ikeda Kikunae, to describe the savoury taste produced by glutamate.
She pointed out that the umami food seasoning can be considered a healthier alternative to table salt, adding that it contains just one-third of the sodium.
“The most abundant natural raw material is in the form of free glutamate that can be found naturally in meat, seafood, tomatoes, vegetables, and human breastmilk. It is also found in Umami seasonings through fermentation or aged as well as shrimp paste, fish sauce, fermented fish, fermented soya bean, and soy sauce, among others,” she said.
Ikediashi assured that the food seasoning, made from sugarcane, is safe for consumption and is used in over 100 countries and regions of the world to bring out the deliciousness in foods and promote the flavour of foods.
Urging Nigerians to patronise the brand and ignore misinformation around it, Ikediashi pointed out that excessive salt consumption leads to hypertension, a major risk factor for heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease, which are currently on the rise in the country.
“AJI-NO-MOTO is considered a healthier alternative to salt in our meals as it helps to promote the deliciousness of umami and reduce the salt content without compromising that great enjoyable taste at meal times.
“We are actively developing products and seasonings that utilise salt-reduction technologies, and the safety of AJI-NO-MOTO® has long been scientifically proven and its safety approved by authorised agencies of the United Nations,” she added.
She urged Nigerians to debunk the myths and unscientific claims about MSG and to work with facts and science, as the AJINOMOTO Group is committed to contributing to the wellness of human beings, society, and the planet through “AminoScience.”
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