Why ‘White Maggi’ consumption on the rise in Kano

Recent hikes in the prices of commodities have forced many people to seek substitutes that cost less.

Most people have adopted adjustment processes to survive the harsh living conditions being faced by the majority of the populace due to inflation.

One such measure is the increase in the use of Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a popular food seasoning known as “White Maggi”.

It was gathered that MSG, also known as AJINOMOTO, came into Nigeria in the early 90s from Asia. However, being an alien product, MSG found it difficult to get accepted in Nigerian markets. While advertisement companies said it was made from sugarcane, others said it was a chemical meant for bleaching.

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It took the product years to penetrate the Nigerian market but with many people still in doubt about its genuineness.

However, recent happenings in the country have forced many households in Kano State to embrace the use of MSG to cut costs.

It was also gathered that a White Maggi of N100 will serve where the other food seasoning brands of N500 will serve.

Malam Usman Idris is a father of four who noted that he initially detested any food that contained MSG.

He explained that he was among the people who fought the use of MSG, but that today he was among the users of the seasoning not because he liked it, but because he had no option.

He said, “I fought the use of the seasoning. Though I am not a nutritionist or a scientist, I hated to use it. Ironically, foods made with MSG are what I have been using in my house because the nation’s current economic situation and the inflation level have gone so high beyond control. There are many people like me, that if they have their way they wouldn’t be using the seasoning.”

Another resident, Malam Isah Shehu, said he was told that MSG was just a common flavour additive that had a reputation for being harmful to health when taken in excess.

When contacted, a Kano-based registered nutritionist, Auwal Musa Umar, stated that consumption of MSG had no advertised nutritional value rather than the flavour.

He explained that as a scientist, it was advised that the public should discard the use of the White Maggi because it could lead to cardiovascular issues.

He also revealed that the substance could also cause cancer after too much consumption, and therefore advised that it was better to eat nutritionally and avoid eating things that were harmful to health, adding that the public should concentrate on the use of other natural seasonings that were healthier.