UMAMI - THE NEVER DYING TASTE

MSG is becoming increasingly popular. At the beginning of the century, production of MSG totalled around 1 million tons per year, but it is currently around 3 million. China has taken over from Japan as the major producer, accounting for around 70% of total production. China is also the biggest consumer, but exports have been rapidly increasing in recent years. In 2018, Chinese exports of MSG surpassed 500,000 tons for the first time. Around 90% of the world’s consumption is in Asia, where the increase in MSG demand can be attributed to the higher consumption of ready-meals, as well as increasing disposable incomes.

So we can say that, at least in Asia, the appetite for umami is undiminished. In the West, where glutamates hide in plain sight, we could argue that westerners are equally addicted to that delicious flavour. After all, umami is at stake, but at cost of an array of toxic effects.

(source: http://spendmatters.com/2014/02/03/msg-worlds-well-known-secret-ingredient/)