McDonald’s Sprinkles Some MSG in Chicken Sandwich Race
- Chain tests additive in chicken sandwiches in Texas, Tennessee
- Fast-food outlets are competing for the best chicken offering
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In McDonald’s Corp.’s push to make a fried-chicken sandwich that better competes with Chick-fil-A, it picked up something extra in the recipe: MSG, the flavor enhancer that has both fans and foes.
The world’s biggest restaurant chain is currently testing chicken sandwiches with monosodium glutamate, an ingredient that adds a savory taste but has also drawn health concerns from consumers. The additive is popping up in the new sandwich undergoing trials in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Houston, as well as appearing at other locations in tests of sausage, soup bases and different crispy-chicken fillets.