• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Top Athletes
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
    • Competition Results
    • Latest Research
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini Massage Guns
      • Individual Recovery Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainers
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
        • Best Fat Burners for Men
        • Best Fat Burners for Women
        • Best Non-Stim Fat Burners
      • More Supplements
        • Best Supplements for Muscle Growth
        • Best Supplements for CrossFit
        • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
        • Best Supplements for Bodybuilding
        • Best Supplements for Men
        • Best Supplement Stacks
      • Individual Supplements Reviews
    • Equipment
      • Cardio
        • Best Treadmills
        • Best Rowing Machines
        • Best Exercise Bikes
        • Best Ellipticals
        • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Strength
        • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
        • Best Dumbbells
        • Best Kettlebells
        • Best Barbells
        • Best Squat Racks
        • Best Free Weights
        • Best Weight Benches
        • Best Resistance Bands
        • Best Slam Balls
        • Best Weighted Vests
        • Best Leg Extension Machines
        • Best Cable Machines
        • Best Power Racks
        • Best Pull Up Bars
      • Best Home Gyms
        • Best Smart Home Gyms
        • Best Gym Equipment Under $100
        • Best Home Gym Essentials
        • Best Home Gym Flooring
      • Individual Equipment Reviews
    • Fitness Accessories
      • Apparel
        • Best Weightlifting Shoes
        • Best Cross Training Shoes
        • Best Gym Bags
        • Best Gym Shorts
      • Training
        • Best Weightlifting Belts
        • Best Knee Sleeves
        • Best Lifting Straps
        • Best Grip Strengtheners
        • Best Wrist Wraps
        • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Individual Fitness Product Reviews
    • Certifications
      • Best Sports Nutrition Certifications
      • Best Personal Trainer Certifications
      • Best Nutrition Certifications
      • Individual Certifications Reviews
    • Programs
      • Best Online Workout Programs
      • Best Workout Streaming Services
      • Best Home Workout Programs
      • Individual Program Reviews
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Nutrition Tips
      • Daily Protein Needs
      • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
      • Foods With Creatine
      • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Bent-Over Row
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Crunches
      • Farmer’s Carry
    • Best Exercises
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Back Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Glute Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Hamstring Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Calf Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
      • Triceps Exercises
    • Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • German Volume Training
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • The Cube Method
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Build Your Own Program
    • Fat Loss
      • How to Burn Fat
      • Spot Fat Reduction
      • How to Train on a Cut
      • Body Conditioning
      • Workouts
        • Kettlebell Circuits
        • Dumbbell Complexes
        • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Muscle Gain
      • Muscle Hypertrophy Explained
      • How to Build Muscle
      • How to Maintain Muscle
      • What Researchers Say About Muscle Gain
        • Workouts
          • 20-Minute Workouts
          • Kettlebell Circuits
          • CrossFit Workouts for Muscle
          • Bodybuilding Workouts
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » News » Why Are People Annoyed That Chick Fil-A Uses MSG?

Why Are People Annoyed That Chick Fil-A Uses MSG?

When it was publicized that Chick-Fil-A uses MSG, people got upset.

Written by Nick English
Last updated on August 6th, 2023

The popular fried chicken chain Chick-Fil-A is in hot water this week after somebody read the ingredients list and learned that the tasty breading contains, horror of horrors, monosodium glutamate. (That’s MSG.)

Chick-fil-a using msg on their chicken sandwiches straight up puts their food at the bottom tier of the fast food chain

— ʙᴇᴀʀᴅᴇᴅ ɪɴᴅɪᴠɪᴅᴜᴀʟ (@itmeJRC) June 10, 2019

Chick-fil-A uses MSG. 🤮

— 🚀🌟Donna Starry Eyed Noble 🚀🌟 (@StarryEyed48) June 4, 2019

See if you can get @ChickfilA to stop using #MSG in their food. I can’t eat there until this poison is removed.

— Potato65 (@Potato6512) June 11, 2019

Popular wisdom has claimed for years that the secret to Chick-Fil-A’s recipe is brining the chicken in pickle juice, or perhaps frying it in peanut oil, and now people are horrified that they’ve been eating MSG all these years.

Dozens of articles have been published on the revelation (Delish’s headline “Um, Chick-Fil-A Uses MSG In Its Food And It Might Be Why You’re So Obsessed” has been syndicated on Yahoo! and multiple other outlets) and Chick-Fil-A is reportedly “researching the removal of MSG.” Because after all, isn’t MSG bad for you?

chick-fil-a
Shutterstock

Isn’t MSG Bad for You?

No! Unless you’re allergic to it, there’s no good evidence that it’s something you should avoid.

For starters, it’s not just found in products of the Chick-Fil-A corporation. It’s in KFC, Doritos, most salty flavored snacks, and glutamate occurs naturally in a lot of foods, like mushrooms. Monosodium glutamate is the combination of a sodium ion and a glutamate ion.

It was discovered by a Japanese biochemist in the early twentieth century who extracted it from wheat and defatted soybean. People started getting concerned about it in 1968 when Chinese-American physician Robert Ho Man Kwok had a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine complaining that Chinese food gave him feelings of numbness and tingling. He called it Chinese Restaurant Syndrome and his letter prompted dozens of others to write in with similar complaints.

Studies ensued that linked MSG to some kind of reaction — nausea, headaches, general feelings of discomfort — but they weren’t randomized controlled trials, it was found that results weren’t reproducible, and many involved consuming several grams of pure MSG, which has a different effect to consuming it in a meal. When you eat it with food, very little glutamate winds up in the bloodstream, and it’s glutamate in the blood that has more links with “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.”

Later on, short- and long-term studies found that when taken with food, MSG didn’t reliably cause headaches nor did they increase the amount of calories eaten.(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)

chinese food
Elena Eryomenko/Shutterstock

The Takeaway

MSG is a source of sodium. Too much sodium can produce headaches and malaise, but so can too little. Balance your sodium intake with your requirements and it’s unlikely that MSG will produce effects. But if you have an allergy to it or if you consistently feel crummy after consuming it, then of course it’s worth avoiding it.

But demonizing food purely because it contains MSG, especially if it’s a food you enjoy eating and don’t experience side effects from, doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Editor’s note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it shouldn’t take the place of advice and/or supervision from a medical professional. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. Speak with your physician if you have any concerns or before beginning any new dietary regimen.

Editor’s note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.

Featured image via Elena Eryomenko/Shutterstock

References

1. Prawirohardjono W, et al. The administration to Indonesians of monosodium L-glutamate in Indonesian foods: an assessment of adverse reactions in a randomized double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study. J Nutr. 2000 Apr;130(4S Suppl):1074S-6S.
2. Tarasoff L, et al. Monosodium L-glutamate: a double-blind study and review. Food Chem Toxicol. 1993 Dec;31(12):1019-35.
3. Tanphaichitr V, et al. Postprandial responses to Thai foods with and without added monosodium L-glutamate [Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS)]. 1983.
4. Rogers PJ, et al. Umami and appetite: effects of monosodium glutamate on hunger and food intake in human subjects. Physiol Behav. 1990 Dec;48(6):801-4.
5. Carter BE, et al. Supplementing chicken broth with monosodium glutamate reduces hunger and desire to snack but does not affect energy intake in women. Br J Nutr. 2011 Nov;106(9):1441-8.
6. Anderson GH, et al. Acute effects of monosodium glutamate addition to whey protein on appetite, food intake, blood glucose, insulin and gut hormones in healthy young men. Appetite. 2018 Jan 1;120:92-99.

About Nick English

Nick is a content producer and journalist with over seven years’ experience reporting on four continents. Since moving to New York City in 2013 he's been writing on health and fitness full time for outlets like BarBend, Men's Health, VICE, and Popular Science.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

EveryPlate Review

EveryPlate Review (2025): A Tasty, Budget-Friendly Meal Kit, Tested By Our Experts

ARMRA Colostrum Review

ARMRA Colostrum Review (2025): A Certified Nutrition Coach’s Critique of this Trending Supplement

Sun Home Luminar Review

Sun Home Luminar Review (2025): Our Experts Sweat It Out With This High-Quality Outdoor Sauna

Cover image for CookUnity review of a filled reusable box of 6 CookUnity meals

CookUnity Review (2025): An Expert-Tested and Flexible Prepared Meal Service

Transparent Labs Prebiotic Greens Review

Transparent Labs Prebiotic Greens Review (2025): Our Experts Examine This Nutrient-Filled Profile

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap