PFA Bans Chinese Salt Across Punjab

This Monday, Punjab Food Authority (PFA) banned Chinese Salt in Punjab after their labs found it to be harmful and unsuitable for human consumption.

Chinese salt, or Ajinomoto, has been tested to be harmful to humans, especially pregnant woman. It causes headache, palpitations, vomiting, sweating, fatigue, numbness of the face, sweating, flushing, and several other ailments including heart diseases. It contains hazardous amount of Monosodium Glutamate (MGS) – a salt belonging to the amino acid family.

The PFA said,

The salt (Ajinomoto) contains Monosodium glutamate which is a harmful chemical and known to cause health problems like headache, heart disease and other mental and physical illnesses.

Routine use of this compound, the MGS, also causes hormonal imbalance, epilepsy, autism, high blood pressure, food allergies, asthma, bile formation malfunction, infertility, and possibly even cancer.

“It can also cause hypertension and is extremely hazardous for pregnant women.” – PFA

The salt has been banned and will not be used in any sort of restaurants, packaged food product, and frozen foods as well.

Statistics and several scientific researches concluded that the food tastes abnormally good when MGS is used. It ‘stimulates’ the human brain and the food containing MGS tastes great.

This causes the consumer to want more of that food and this ingredient is widely known as a “magic ingredient.” Its no wonder that some eateries and companies really love to use it to enhance their food products.

It’s interesting to note that Chinese Salt is popular in Pakistan. It’s used throughout the country in restaurants, frozen food, and is even used in Pakistani homes since decades. Perhaps Punjab Food Authority’s recent action might alert people to the dangers of it in the days ahead.


  • Ajinomoto Co., Inc is a Japanese food and chemical corporation which produces seasonings, cooking oils, TV dinners, sweeteners, amino acids, and pharmaceuticals. AJI-NO-MOTO (味の素, “essence of taste”) is the trade name for the company’s original monosodium glutamate (MSG) product. The company’s head office is …

    Is MSG safe?
    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that’s “generally recognized as safe,” but its use remains controversial. … Over the years, the FDA has received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG.

    • PFA has done so much good work. They should avoid issuing bans on products that are used around the world. If they found something wrong with Chinese salt, they should properly share it with Public. Just having MSG in a product should not be the reason for banning. If they have done research, they should share it.

      • msg is banned around the globe many years ago Pakistan is always the last country to ban any bad thing good example is banaspati ghee which we are still using while is was banned in last century in Europe and America


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