Ajinomoto

From Freepedia

Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Japanese: 味の素) (TYO: 2802) is a Japanese company that produces food seasonings, cooking oils, foods and pharmaceuticals through Britannia Pharmaceuticals Limited, a UK-based subsidary. The literal translation of Aji no Moto is "Essence of Taste", used as a trademark for the company's monosodium glutamate. Ajinomoto currently produces around 33% of the world's MSG.

Ajinomoto is active in 23 countries and regions worldwide, employing around 24,861 people as of 2004. Yearly revenue stands at US$9.84 billion.

Ajinomoto's signature product, MSG seasoning, was first marketed in Japan in 1909, having been discovered and patented by Kikunae Ikeda. The company rapidly expanded to other countries, with Ajinomoto U.S.A., Inc. being established in 1956. Since then, Ajinomoto has become a conglomerate spreading to other areas, though mostly in the food industry.

In early 2001, Ajinomoto was involved in a scandal in Majority-Muslim Indonesia when it emerged that a pork-based enzyme had been used in its production of MSG. This gave ironic significance to the company's advertising slogan in some parts of the world: "What is Ajinomoto made of?" Similarly, in 1917 an urban legend spread that ajinomoto was made from snake. This turned out not to be true.