By Doris Obinna
In a renewed bid to create awareness on the health and safety of its food seasoning, West African Seasoning Company Limited (WASCO), makers of Aji-no-moto, has reiterated its commitment to helping Nigerians eat healthy by bringing out the natural taste in cooking through safe and cost-effective seasonings.
Taking its safety campaign to Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN), the company said, based on its safety, the product has been in existence for over 100 years and is consumed in over 130 countries by enhancing taste and increasing deliciousness of food.
Speaking at the annual symposium of HEWAN, with theme “Building confidence in COVID-19 vaccines,” held recently in Lagos, the company introduced its newest product, “DeliDawa” seasoning.
Reeling out many health benefits of the seasoning, corporate communications manager, WASCO, Francisca Ikediashi, said the seasoning, also known as Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), was safe for consumption, assuring caterers that the product had long been scientifically proven safe for consumption.
According to her, “Aji-no-moto helps in salt reduction in our cooking and also enhances deliciousness of our meals. The Umami taste harmonizes the overall flavour without any compromise to the delicious taste of our meals.
Ikediashi said Aji-no-moto was simply made from sugarcane through the natural process of fermentation and was, therefore, 100 per cent safe for consumption.
Educating the participants further, Ikediashi noted that the seasoning has been safely used as food ingredient after it was discovered by a Japanese scientist, Dr. Kikunae Ikeda, adding that the product is registered in Nigeria by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
She said: “The benefits of the seasoning include enhancing and promoting the deliciousness of our meals; it is economical; it reduces salt intake and it is rich in gluta-mate one of the free amino acids. Almost all seasoning contains MSG. Aji-no-moto is 100 per cent safe for human consumption.”
WASCO is committed to helping Nigerians eat healthy by bringing out the natural taste in cooking through safe and cost-effective seasonings, urging them to dispel any myth or misconception about Aji-no-moto through their write-ups.
“Umami substance is present in most natural foods such as meat, seafood, vegetables, cheese and milk. Glutamate is also abundant in breast milk. Umami seasoning enhances the taste of dishes and is a universal taste. It is one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter. We have a lot of glutamate in our local foods. Iru, for instance, is Umami. When you take Iru, you take a lot of glutamates.”
While urging Nigerians to dispel any myth or misconception about the product, Ikediashi said, “It is affordable and can be used for a long period of time. Produced and packaged under a hygienic condition, the seasoning can be used for variety of local dishes.”