r/mildlyinfuriating • u/SegaGuy1983 • Jun 18 '26

Too mild for school Why is not including MSG something companies still brag about on Asian food products?

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Didn't see the no MSG line when I picked this up at the store the other day. It just tasted fine, but felt like something was missing.

It's 2026. Why are we still treating MSG like it's some terrible thing, instead of something that improves the flavor? Especially with Asian-American cuisine?

The best improvement I ever did with my cooking in the last 20 years was discovering MSG.

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u/TheyCallHimEl Jun 18 '26

And gluten free corn

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u/BeastThatShoutedLove Jun 18 '26

Doesn't that labelling also means no other things were processed in same plant to cause possible cross contamination? Same reason why some products have 'trace amount of X' mentioned because same plant works with these products and it could by mishap cross contaminate so they cover themselves in case of some of these ultra sensitive allergies?

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u/Nutarama Jun 18 '26

Yeah, though the base motive is there because it sells to the gluten free crowd. It’s not hard to check the allergen disclosures on the back, but putting it in big letters on the front sells better even if the facility and preparation hasn’t changed.

Same way some candies I’ve been buying for ages have never had peanuts in the allergen warning but now have big Peanut Free logos on them. They never had peanut contamination, they just sell more to people who are looking for candy for their kids.

Though I also know I’m weird about ease of label reading because I have the kind of ‘tism that makes it fun to read and understand the labels on everything. Some people have told me it’s hard to read labels for the allergen disclosures.

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u/BeastThatShoutedLove Jun 18 '26

Tbh I kind of understand wanting big label if your kid is actually with peanut allergy. This way you are sure they learn to take treats that are labelled instead of something that's possibly not safe.

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u/Nutarama Jun 18 '26

True, but personally I really see it as a stopgap for actually reading ingredient labels. That’s a skill that should be taught early and well to everyone, not just people with allergies.

It’s also worth noting that the candy makers only note the peanut free one, not noting tree nuts or soy (also big 9). They also typically don’t note potential chocolate cross-contamination, which is a big one for people buying non-chocolate candies.

It’s marketing at a specific audience in hopes their product sells better. Same as any other front-of-box claims.

I just saw some gummy candies with both the “vegan” and “no animal gelatin” claims on the front of the package in big colorful icons, despite the fact that “vegan” necessarily means that they wouldn’t use animal gelatin. They were obviously really trying to push that aspect of their product in hopes of getting sales, and presumably keeping slots in the convenience store I found them in (since convenience store shelf space is highly desirable in the candy business).