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THE AJINOMOTO GROUP CAMPAIGN ASKS GOOP TO TAKE FACTS-BASED STANCE ON MSG, CLEAN EATINGThe invitation to join activist and comedian Jenny Yang for dinner and discussion surpasses 21M views, but Goop and its founder remain silent. ITASCA, Ill., July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ajinomoto Co., Inc., a leading global producer of monosodium glutamate (MSG) committed to championing science and setting the record straight on the ingredient, is awaiting a response from Goop to join partner comedian/activist Jenny Yang for dinner to reconsider its problematic stance on MSG and "clean eating." The campaign, called #DinnerWithGoop, has garnered more than 21 million views and scores of comments across social media platforms in support of the endeavor. "Goop is one of the most influential wellness platforms in the world, but restricting MSG and other perfectly safe ingredients in favor of 'clean eating' is unfortunately an area where Goop falls short," said Tia M. Rains, PhD, Vice President of Customer Engagement & Strategic Development at Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition, North America. "We hope that a science-based conversation over a tasty meal (with MSG, of course), will encourage Goop to experience the truth first-hand and revise its stance to be more inclusive and equitable when discussing 'clean eating' claims." Though Goop has stayed silent in response to the campaign, in recent days it has started removing some of its most controversial articles on food, diets and detoxing, and adding more scientific rigor around certain content. Most of its problematic claims about MSG, however, remain unchanged. "When you call things 'clean' or 'dirty,' it starts to edge into that territory of what's 'othered' and what's not," said Jenny Yang in an interview on the San Francisco Chronicle's Extra Spicy podcast in June. "There's racist and xenophobic history behind calling out MSG… the food industry and the wellness industry need to become more aware of the fact that they shouldn't be demonizing something so specific." Despite MSG's 110-year history of safety validated by health organizations across the globe, the ingredient has been unfairly villainized for decades in the U.S., stemming from poorly conducted science and xenophobic stigma. In 2018, the Ajinomoto Group embarked on a mission to set the record straight about MSG in the U.S., working with nutrition scientists, culinary experts and the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community to unravel years of unfounded stigma. In 2020, Merriam-Webster revised its definition of the problematic term "Chinese Restaurant Syndrom" after the Ajinomoto Group and other advocates exposed its racist undertones and shared the facts about MSG. In 2021, popular 30-day elimination program Whole30 publicly announced it would "no longer rule out MSG as one of its off-limits additives," citing a reevaluation of "current science, historical learnings, and our diversity, equity and inclusion values." "I am proud to join other leaders of wellness in helping to reframe the narrative on MSG, and think the time is right for Goop to bring their powerful voice to this particular table," said Melissa Urban, Whole30 co-founder and CEO. Visit KnowMSG.com/DinnerWithGoop to learn about the safety, science and benefits of MSG. Use #DinnerWithGoop on social media to get involved. About The Ajinomoto Group's Past Campaigns About Ajinomoto Co., Inc. About Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc. Press Contact: Victoria Kwan | [email protected] | +1 (917) 640-5845 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-ajinomoto-group-campaign-asks-goop-to-take-facts-based-stance-on-msg-clean-eating-301591085.html SOURCE Ajinomoto Co., Inc |