Assessment on Consumers' Awareness and Perception Towards Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and Its Effect to Their Buying Behavior

Even though monosodium glutamate is generally accepted as a safe food additive by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, there is a stigma with Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) being a dangerous food additive with claims that it causes headaches, heart palpitations or worse, cancer. The study was designed to assess the awareness and perception of today’s consumers of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and how it affects their buying behavior. The study aimed to determine the level of awareness, perception and behavior of the respondents towards MSG and to evaluate their differences across classifications along selected profiles. The study was conducted at Green Valley, Baguio City which is comprised of a population with different demographics. The results were statistically analyzed using test of proportions and comparison of means to show the differences and associations between the variables. There is a high level of awareness among the respondents on MSG and its presence on certain commodities. When grouped along selected profiles, the respondents have shown the same level of awareness being highly aware on most of the commodities identified in the study and moderately aware on some. The stigma about MSG is still dominant, with the respondents showing a negative perception of the additive affecting their buying decisions. The negative perception on MSG is dominant over its benefits as suggested by the attitude exhibited by the respondents being neutral on the safety of MSG in moderate consumption and in making products tastier and appetizing.