
New trends in food and cooking come with a new year, and MSG is getting lots of buzz for its ability to enhance the flavor of many foods.
From viral recipes to popular ingredients, MSG made several prominent “Top 10” lists, showing it’s not leaving the foodie scene anytime soon.
MSG: Social Flavor Star
Food influencers have brought MSG into the spotlight as a key ingredient to make recipes shine. In “The great MSG myth exposed: It’s not bad for you,” The Times writer Charlotte Ivers notes that thanks to videos on TikTok and other social platforms, the use of MSG is trending in Britain and throughout the West:
“Look on TikTok and you’ll be struck by the startling number of videos from food influencers with millions of fans celebrating a seasoning they call ‘the king of flavour’. The magic ingredient? MSG.”
How MSG Influenced Food in 2024
In December 2024, Food & Wine published a roundup detailing “These 10 Trends and Ingredients Changed the Way We Cooked This Year.” Coming in at number 2 on the list was MSG, which can be used to add umami flavor to everything from burgers to soups to salad dressings.
“If you’re not cooking at home with monosodium glutamate, aka MSG, then you’re missing out on major umami.”
What to Expect for MSG in 2025
Enthusiasm for using MSG to get the most flavor out of savory foods will continue in 2025, according to Casey Rooney of the Associated Press. In an article featured in The Seattle Times, Rooney notes that MSG brings a “rich, umami flavor” to soups, vegetables, and many restaurant dishes.
“Chef Petra Atanasova from Sunglow Kitchen says, ‘While it’s been around for ages and has long been used in Asian cuisine, it’s lately getting rediscovered. One example is Logan Moffit who took TikTok and Instagram by storm with his viral cucumber recipes. MSG is present in almost all of his videos and his saying “MSG obviously” has become an iconic line.’”
Food Dive predicts that umami flavors, as well as spicy, will stay at the top of the food game in 2025, particularly umami snacks. With Generation Z leading the way as “flavor explorers,” bold tastes such as umami will continue to rise in popularity.
“[Food product innovation company Mattson] expects a resurgence of furikake and MSG, the latter of which has shed its image as an unhealthy ingredient and is now being used to give flavors a boost in many types of products, even finding its way into an MSG Martini.”
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