Don't Lie to Me about MSG

November 3, 2009

I recently saw a holiday ad on food network for Swanson’s Chicken broth. The entire point of the ad was that they have a superior product because it does not contain MSG. This is a lie that the FDA does not allow them to claim on their label. The label must say No added MSG +other than what naturally occurs in autolyzed yeast. This means – it does in fact contain MSG. The FDA makes a distinction for a reason… they are not the same thing. There are brands of broth who by law can claim – NO MSG, however Swanson Broth is NOT one of them.
I would ask that you take a few minutes and complain. Tell Swanson Broth—they aren’t fooling you! Tell the food network that they are deceiving us and that you don’t appreciate it. This claim is false and it’s hurting people. It may seem nitpicky, but it’s kind of like saying you’re a little bit pregnant—you either are, or you aren’t. Either the product has MSG or it doesn’t. And it does, and they shouldn’t be allowed to say it doesn’t.

Many people have severe allergies to MSG and if this product is used in their holiday meal they will be sick, have severe symptoms and some could possibly die. Many more of us choose simply not to ingest neurotoxins and should be able to make that choice and not be lied to about what is in a product. If you are unaware of the potential dangers of MSG I would encourage you to look into it at:
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/

Take a few minutes to tell Swanson STOP LYING TO ME @:
http://www.swansonbroth.com/contactus.aspx

Feel free to copy and use my email to tell Swanson to stop lying!

STOP LYING about MSG.
Swanson Broth is currently running an ad on the food network. Your company makes the claim that there is “no MSG” in the product. This is FALSE and deceptive and is putting thousands of people at risk who have severe allergies to MSG. I know the truth. You aren't allowed to claim that your product has no MSG. Instead you are only allowed to say your product has “No MSG added" with the fine print notation "+ other than what naturally occurs in autolyzed yeast." Therefore it DOES include MSG. The FDA recognizes the difference by not allowing you to claim NO MSG on your label. You should not be allowed to make that claim in ANY advertising- whether in writing or verbally.
This ad is extremely deceptive and highly unethical. In addition it puts people in danger. Many folks this season will be purchasing this product thinking it will be safe for their relatives who don't or can't eat MSG, and you will be responsible for that deception.
I'm smarter than that! I won't be purchasing your product this season or any other until you stop trying to deceive me!
And I'm telling everyone I know that you lie about what is in your product. If MSG is so bad that in order to sell your product you have to lie and tell people it doesn't contain it, then maybe it's time to stop putting it into your broth. I know the truth lies in the fine print-- you're not fooling me.

I know food network is airing the ad you can contact them via email @:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/contact-us/package/index.html
other networks may be airing this ad if you see it please let me know so I can respond to them as well.

Here’s my recent email—feel free to cut and paste or create your own and pass this on to everyone who might care!


I'm furious that you are allowing your advertisers to lie to us on your network!
Swanson Broth is currently running an ad on your network. They make the claim that they have “no MSG” in the product. This is FALSE and deceptive and is putting thousands of folks at risk who have severe allergies to MSG. If you would look at the product you would see that it is allowed by the FDA to say "No added MSG" with the fine print notation "+ other than what naturally occurs in autolyzed yeast." Therefore it DOES include MSG. The FDA recognizes the difference by not allowing them to claim NO MSG on their label-- they should not be allowed to make that claim in ANY advertising- whether in writing or verbally.
This ad is extremely deceptive and highly unethical. In addition it puts people in danger. Many folks this season will be purchasing this product thinking it will be safe for their relatives who don't or can't eat MSG, and you will be responsible for that deception.
PLEASE correct this!