KFC secret recipe: Uproar after additive in fried chicken seasoning is exposed


An alert consumer of Kentucky Fried Chicken voiced her surprise at a component used in the restaurant chain’s seasoning, stating that she had assumed the item had been banned.

A Kiwi lady posted a picture of the seasoning label from KFC, which includes the contentious salt MSG (monosodium glutamate) as one of the components for the fast food chain’s fried chicken flavoring.

‘It’s like salt on crack,’ she wrote on Facebook.

An eagle-eyed Kentucky Fried Chicken customer posted her shock at MSG being used in the chain's seasoning

An eagle-eyed Kentucky Fried Chicken customer posted her shock at MSG being used in the chain's seasoning

An eagle-eyed Kentucky Fried Chicken customer posted her shock at MSG being used in the chain’s seasoning

Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, is shown here as he celebrates his 88th birthday - He invented the highly popular 11 spices recipe that has been a closely guarded secret since the '40s

Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, is shown here as he celebrates his 88th birthday - He invented the highly popular 11 spices recipe that has been a closely guarded secret since the '40s

Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, is shown here as he celebrates his 88th birthday – He invented the highly popular 11 spices recipe that has been a closely guarded secret since the ’40s

Facebook users were split, with some sharing their shock that MSG was the secret to KFC’s original recipe chicken, while others said it was OK in moderation.

‘I’ve read a few articles on MSG or Chinese restaurant syndrome. It was mainly an attack on ethnic communities by some who were just being racist! It’s OK in moderation! Umami seasoning is the same thing,’ a woman responded.

‘I’m certain that MSG has never been banned, and all the myths surrounding it been bad for you have been disproven,’ another said.

However, others were concerned about the additive being a crucial ingredient in the KFC chicken.

‘Yuck, no wonder I always feel sick afterwards,’ one wrote.

There have been extensive studies into MSG across 40 years but no medical bodies have found any convincing evidence it has links to serious illness or death in humans..

Many people say they experience adverse effects from eating foods with MSG in it, including headaches, sweating, fluttering heartbeats and nausea.

As a result, countries around the world ensure the additive must be approved for use before its used in products, and it must be clearly labelled.

One man in Mahad, northern India, was reported in 2017 to have lost his voice and ability to swallow after eating MSG.

According to a report in the Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, the 23-year-old went to hospital with a difficulty speaking and unable to swallow his saliva.

Doctors found his mouth had swelled up and blamed it on MSG in the Chinese fried rice he had eaten for dinner the night before.

The man complained of giddiness, sweating, and itching all over his body, but recovered in a couple of days

KFC say it uses MSG in line with the guidelines of Food Standards Australia New Zealand and the additive occurs naturally in many foods

KFC say it uses MSG in line with the guidelines of Food Standards Australia New Zealand and the additive occurs naturally in many foods

KFC say it uses MSG in line with the guidelines of Food Standards Australia New Zealand and the additive occurs naturally in many foods

KFC confirmed it uses MSG.

‘Some of our food does contain MSG but rest assured, it’s only present at levels that are safe for the general population,’ the fried chicken chain say on its website.

‘It’s a recognised flavour enhancer that also occurs naturally in foods such as meat, fish, milk, vegetables, fruits and cheese.’

Food Standards Australia New Zealand say it has been conducting research into MSG for four decades and had deemed it safe.

‘Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) reviewed the safety of MSG in 2003 concluding ‘there is no convincing evidence that MSG is a significant factor in causing systemic reactions resulting in severe illness or mortality’,’ the group say on its website.

‘In Australia and New Zealand, no food additive — including MSG — is approved for use in food until its safety has been established by FSANZ.

‘MSG and other glutamates are among a group of food additives that are generally permitted in foods, due to their safety.’

WHAT IS MSG?

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavour enhancer derived from seaweed that is frequently used in takeaways and fast-food restaurants.

The food additive is also often added to stock cubes, ready meals and crisps.

Studies have suggested MSG, which is also known as ‘hydrolyzed protein’ and ‘autolyzed yeast extract’, crosses the blood brain barrier where it overstimulates receptors.

This can result in the receptor’s death and has been linked to chronic pain.

Studies have also implied MSG causes brain damage when injected into young mice.

Premature death also occurs when the food additive is given to fruit flies.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US requires MSG be listed on relevant food labels despite classifying the ingredient as being ‘generally recognized as safe’.

This is due to reports of people experiencing headache, sweating, facial tightness, heart palpitations and nausea after consuming the flavour enhancer.

Restaurants and takeaways are not obligated to declare the amount of MSG they add to food.

Colonel Sanders’ top secret original KFC recipe ‘found in a scrapbook belonging to his nephew’

Has KFC’s secret and highly-guarded original chicken recipe finally been revealed?

The secret Original Recipe has been classified more highly than most state secrets since the 1940s and is the underpinning of the fast food chain’s success.

But in 2016, the Chicago Tribune published what one relative of KFC Colonel Harland Sanders believes is the recipe, which has been safely tucked away in a family scrapbook for years.

The blend of 11 herbs and spices is kept in a vault, says the company, and no one – except the company, of course – knows what it is.

In fact, Sanders came up with the idea to have two different companies make part of the recipe, so no one company would ever have the entire thing.

But Joe Ledington, a nephew of the colonel by marriage, has a scrapbook that was once owned by Claudia Sanders, second wife of the colonel. And inside that scrapbook might be the chicken world’s biggest secret.

One of Colonel Sanders' distant relatives by marriage, Joe Ledington, thinks he may have found the original finger lickin' recipe for KFC chicken, hidden inside of a family scrapbook

One of Colonel Sanders' distant relatives by marriage, Joe Ledington, thinks he may have found the original finger lickin' recipe for KFC chicken, hidden inside of a family scrapbook

One of Colonel Sanders’ distant relatives by marriage, Joe Ledington, thinks he may have found the original finger lickin’ recipe for KFC chicken, hidden inside of a family scrapbook

Above, a commemorative representation of the 11 secret herbs and spices Colonel Harland Sanders made famous in his recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken

Above, a commemorative representation of the 11 secret herbs and spices Colonel Harland Sanders made famous in his recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken

Above, a commemorative representation of the 11 secret herbs and spices Colonel Harland Sanders made famous in his recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken

Inside the scrapbook is a handwritten recipe stuck inside of an envelope that also contained Claudia’s will. Claudia passed away in 1997.

Ledington said he has had the scrapbook for about four years, as it was passed down through family members.

Does he think it’s the real Original Recipe?

‘Yeah, I do,’ he told the outlet. ‘I don’t want to get in an argument with [parent company] Yum! Brands about it but … I’m pretty sure that it’s pretty close to the original.’

The Tribune decided to put the recipe to the rest, whipping it up as written, and then comparing it to a batch of fresh KFC bought at a local restaurant.

After several tries that went awry, the test cooks finally came up with a batch, using the same ingredients but also sprinkling on some MSG flavor-enhancer Accent, that the outlet said tasted ‘indistinguishable’ from that bought at the fast food joint.

Yum! Brands, however, is squawking that it’s not the recipe at all: ‘Lots of people through the years have claimed to discover or figure out the secret recipe, but no one’s ever been right,’ the company said, somewhat coyly.

Could it mean until now? Try it for yourself:

Prep: 30 minutes

Soak: 20-30 minutes

Cook: 15-18 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1/3 tablespoon dried oregano leaves

1 tablespoon celery salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried mustard

4 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons garlic salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

3 tablespoons ground white pepper

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

1 chicken, cut up, the breast pieces cut in half for more even frying

Expeller-pressed canola oil

1 Mix the flour in a bowl with all the herbs and spices; set aside.

2 Mix the buttermilk and egg together in a separate bowl until combined. Soak the chicken in the buttermilk mixture at room temperature, 20-30 minutes.

3 Remove chicken from the buttermilk, allowing excess to drip off. Dip the chicken pieces in the herb-spice-flour mixture to coat all sides, shaking off excess. Allow to sit on a rack over a baking sheet, 20 minutes.

4 Meanwhile, heat about 3 inches of the oil in a large Dutch oven (or similar heavy pot with high sides) over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. (Use a deep-frying thermometer to check the temperature.) When temperature is reached, lower the heat to medium to maintain it at 350. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time, being careful not to crowd the pot. Fry until medium golden brown, turning once, 15-18 minutes. Transfer chicken pieces to a baking sheet covered with paper towels. Allow the oil to return to temperature before adding more chicken. Repeat with remaining chicken.

– The Chicago Tribune.


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