Supreme Court bans 'Chinese salt' across country, declares it 'hazardous to health'

E-Paper | May 04, 2026

The Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday ordered a ban on the sale, import and export of 'Chinese salt' (monosodium glutamate) — popularly known as Ajinomoto — all over the country, declaring it "hazardous for health".

After hearing a suo motu case concerning the sale of MSG and used oil in the SC Lahore Registry, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar ordered that the chief secretaries of all provinces be informed of the court's decision. He further said that the prime minister should take up the issue in the cabinet.

The Punjab chief secretary, who had appeared in court today, told Justice Nisar that the Sindh government had prohibited the sale of Chinese salt under Article 144 of the Constitution. The Punjab Food Authority, meanwhile, was taking measures against the selling of the "hazardous" condiment.

The court was also told that a debate over the import and export of MSG was pending in the Cabinet.

The Punjab government had imposed a ban on the sale, import and export of MSG in January. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh had followed suit and banned the condiment for its “hazardous effects on human health” in February.

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Rana Bilal is a Lahore-based reporter for Dawn News (TV) with over nine years of experience covering legal affairs, justice-sector developments, and environmental issues. He can be found on X at @ranabilaldawn.

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Hari

Mar 03, 2018 05:14pm

Am from India, India government also should do the same.

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Punjabi4 ever

Mar 03, 2018 05:33pm

Pakistani should not allow chinease food and diary products, they do not meet quality speciation, hazard to Pakistani awam,moreover their products are substandard nobody trust chinease product only foreign brands made in China are ok.

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Pervez

Mar 03, 2018 05:39pm

Best salt in the world is Pakistani red salt aka Himalayan salt from near sargoda. Why the hell do people buy imported salt.

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fairplay

Mar 03, 2018 05:42pm

it is likely the most consumers dont realize that many of the NATIONAL packet masalas contain MSG aka Chinese salt.

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Tariq, Lahore

Mar 03, 2018 05:54pm

MSG alias Chinese salt/Ajinomoto could reappear under a new name. MSG under what ever alias trade name, should be banned, full stop.

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Panocha

Mar 03, 2018 06:02pm

Chinese Quality is evident here.

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Imran

Mar 03, 2018 06:18pm

Chinese salt or MSG as its also called, is included in almost all products and its extremely hazardous for health. Almost all pakwans are adding this to enhance taste; almost all recipe mix spice manufacturers are adding this and not disclosing this on pack. gr8 decision. Hope its implemented in letter and spirit.

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Haroon

Mar 03, 2018 06:21pm

Good decision. I just read that it can cause cancer. Salute to our Justice system that offers some sensible judgements. Pakistan Zindabad

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Logical

Mar 03, 2018 06:25pm

Even salt is imported from China . Cpec is in full effect.

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Zakota

Mar 03, 2018 06:30pm

Now it will be sold after mixing with table salt

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A shah

Mar 03, 2018 06:46pm

Time to Kick Chinese out

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Aravind

Mar 03, 2018 06:46pm

Good decision. Wish Indian government also takes note of this and bans it in India. It is indeed hazardous for health.

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Gerry dcunha

Mar 03, 2018 06:55pm

All food items produced in china are dangerious for health and cause of cancer.

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matana

Mar 03, 2018 06:58pm

I'm live in China and rarely people use it here, it's a n overrated Ingredient that's all.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Mar 03, 2018 07:00pm

East or West, Khewra mountains rock salt is the best.

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Wajih Qidwai

Mar 03, 2018 07:04pm

I think we should dismantle the assemblies and rest of the department and handover everything to Courts, because they are the active ones only

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khan

Mar 03, 2018 07:07pm

Whats wrong with stupid and crook traders. Pakistan has mountains of Salt, and they import n sell Chinese salt.

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Ram

Mar 03, 2018 07:17pm

Its a good movement

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SAT

Mar 03, 2018 07:29pm

Pakistan has mine of black salt which is very safe. It should be using that and not imported salt. I am sure salt from the sea water is also being manufactured in Pakistan. There is no need to import any salt fro abroad.

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Zac

Mar 03, 2018 07:36pm

MSG has been given a bad name and is not really scientifically backed. The latest data shows that MSG doesn't deserve the wrong publicity.

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Intriguing comments

Mar 03, 2018 07:45pm

Monosodium glutamate its genetic name, is a food additive, or a taste enhancer. In small quantities it's OK. In large consumption its injurious. As simple as that, instead of banning an awareness is better.

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Issak

Mar 03, 2018 07:52pm

A few years ago baby milk powder imported from China to Canada and USA was found to have hazardous ingredients ..it was promtly banned... similarly canned fish, vegetables and packed condiments contain poisonous substances....not to forget a deadly street drug called fentanyl manufactured in China is creating a huge crisis of users deaths in North America..!

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Ahmad

Mar 03, 2018 08:06pm

It’s hilarious at best. Scientifically it’s well proven that extra salt is not good for health. There is no scientific proof that MSG per say is worst than regular salt. That is why it’s not banned by FDA. Regular salt is sodium chloride and so called Chinese salt ( it has nothing to do being Chinese it’s made in many other countries as well) is monosodium glutamate, glutamine is an amino acid in body and part of our protein building blocks. Please don’t get lost in words Chinese salt. Educate community so that they can understand that any extra salt is bad for health. Courts are not the places for education. Hope it helps.

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Tranquality

Mar 03, 2018 08:18pm

Is this not a job of the concern health department(s) or municipality etc. to ensure imports are edible and fit for human consumptions. Why supreme court has to jump and correct things every now and then?

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Ayesha Sadozai

Mar 03, 2018 08:20pm

Monosodium Glutamate is deadly. It must be fully banned. Its also present in other food items like Knorr cubes and Maggi Noodles etc. Its requested that a detailed investigation be made into all food items for sale and anything containing this noxious substance, be immediately confiscated from market and production shut down.

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Canadian

Mar 03, 2018 08:21pm

All edibles produced and exported by China are below standard, poor quality and unsafe for consumption. In north America, no one likes to purchase China made edibles.

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alla bux

Mar 03, 2018 08:23pm

@Pervez Ajinomoto is NOT salt (the one you get from the sea) The Himalayan salt or the pink salt can also be used as replacement of the sea salt and in the west it is sold as 'healthy salt'. But you can not use 'Chinese Salt' to replace the sea salt. It is called a flavor enhancer.

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Jysen

Mar 03, 2018 08:28pm

MSG is flavour and taste enhancer which is added to almost all kinds of seasoning items used for preparing food. Many countries have already banned it . Noodles contain this chemical in substantial quantities and so it is better to avoid taking noodles. Children below 9 years should never be exposed to the harmful MSG. You should do very well to take anything from China with a pinch of salt.

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Moby Moby

Mar 03, 2018 09:00pm

This is also the supreme courts job?

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Javed

Mar 03, 2018 09:12pm

Why in the World are we importing salt from anywhere? Are the salt mines in Kharian all used up and the Arabian sea has quit being salty as well?

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Haal

Mar 03, 2018 10:33pm

Courts are getting into issues which are not their domain and strength.

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A shah

Mar 03, 2018 10:37pm

Never touch anything to do with China

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Laleena

Mar 03, 2018 10:45pm

How could you say that it has been banned.its not implemented yet . Mono Sodium Glutumate is an integral ingredient in all the noodles that our innocent kids eat with so much fun n excitement .the taste makers inside is loaded with mono sodium glutamate kindly look into it .our children are taking slow poison in the form of maggi knorr shoop n all that mouth watering soopy noodles . every single consumer shops should stop selling these instantly cooked products that contain high amount of chinese salt ,all chicken cubes,n such curry powders.

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Javed

Mar 03, 2018 11:10pm

It is a sad state of affairs when the highest court in the land is reduced to ruling on matters of such routine nature. PML-N is an embarrassment and our masses cannot see through its deceit.

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AKB

Mar 03, 2018 11:43pm

We have the mountains of salt of best quality at Jata Kohat and would like to ask the traders for sale within the country and may export it to other countries.

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zahir

Mar 04, 2018 12:23am

@Pervez Best salt is from Khewra Mines, the second largest salt mines in the world.

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Intriguing comments

Mar 04, 2018 12:59am

@Wajih Qidwai . Not so, let the courts do their work, let the cruel & criminals suffer, let the media viral the facts, and let the people comment after reading.

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Dervaish Khan

Mar 04, 2018 03:06am

Who will make it sure that the salt already imported is wasted or returned to China?

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Walkman

Mar 04, 2018 03:44am

@Pervez Ajino motto is mono sodium glutamate and it is known carcinogen. It is added not as salt but as flavor enhancer, some may use to spray with water on fruit and vegetable to make them look more colorful. In Freeze drying flower, you dip flower in water with Ajino Moto to retain their color during drying process.

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Jawad

Mar 04, 2018 04:10am

The effects of msg have been known world over including the Chinese . This is no new revelation .most people commenting here don’t realize that this is not salt it’s a seasoning that is called Chinese salt .

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Viran

Mar 04, 2018 04:26am

@Pervez cause ur gov has a strong currency making import cheaper than domestic products

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Syed Jafri

Mar 04, 2018 05:05am

Why supreme court has to take such actions? This is the responsibility of executive branch to regulate food and health. Is Pakistan in such a disarray and incompetent that the supreme court has to do everything in the country? If elected officials are so useless then why people vote them in the office! If supreme court has to do everything then we should abolish Parliament and save money on extravagant expenses.

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VeryGrumpy

Mar 04, 2018 05:36am

MSG aka "Chinese salt" is not table salt. It is a widely flavour enhancer which stimulate taste receptors which approximately to what can be called "savoury". It is regarded as an additional taste after sweet, sour, bitter and salty, referred to as "umami". It is not in competition with Khewra salt. Also, it is widely used in Eastern cuisine, and in the manufacture of salty foods through out the world. No reliable evidence has been found of it being harmful: Walker R1, Lupien JR. The safety evaluation of monosodium glutamate. J Nutr. 2000 Apr;130(4S Suppl):1049S-52S. PMID: 10736380 In fact, the rumour were likely started in non-peer reviewed columns in journals in the sixties where the author complained of flushing after feasting on Chinese food. Such anecdotal evidence is insufficient for drawing any conclusions. We should not over-react on the basis of ill-informed preconceptions.

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balakrishnan

Mar 04, 2018 06:47am

fault in salt?

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Iqra Rehmani

Mar 04, 2018 11:43am

Good decission ,chinese are hazard to our country too. Hope so govt.will realize soon

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Sobia

Mar 04, 2018 09:57pm

Good Step!

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Stephen Fox

Mar 05, 2018 02:30am

Although called "Chinese" salt throughout the Pakistani media, it is not Chinese at all, but made by Ajinomoto of Japan, the world's largest maker of neurotoxics additive and another one, aspartame, the artificial sweetener, which should be the next thing the Pakistan government bans foreverl. This action puts Pakistan at the head of nations who actively and meaningfully protect the health of their consumers, instead of sweeping problems under the rug, capitulating to corporate lies about how "healthy" their poisons are, and then just giving lip service to protecting health. The step after that should be to sue these kinds of companies to compensate the nation for the costs of treating the illnesses their poisonous products have caused! That was what the states of the United States did about 27 years ago when they sued the tobacco companies for the costs of treating lung cancer and emphysema; similarly, MSG and Aspartame cause many neurodegenerative diseases. Zindabad Pakistan!

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Ravi

Mar 05, 2018 06:46am

Why surprised ? , After all its chinese....

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Garib Das

Mar 05, 2018 11:33am

Most of the Chinese food products are hazardous to health.

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Imran

Mar 05, 2018 12:12pm

Chinese salt or MSG (mono sodium glutamate) is used as taste enhancer. Firstly, It should not be confused with normal salt; rather its a taste enhancer, which is extremely harmful for health. Secondly it should not be confused due to its name as a product of China. It can be Japanese as well like "ajino moto", a brand of Chinese salt of Japanese origin. Almost all recipe mix manufacturers, pakwans, chips, nimko and sauces manufacturers are using MSG (Chinese salt). Some are disclosing it on their packs but majority is hiding it altogether. I hope its clarified in court order that "Chinese salt" is also called MSG and its also banned.

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Sabir

Mar 05, 2018 01:38pm

Jahil decision for a jahil populace. MSG is not salt, its just called "chinese salt". It is not unsafe and has been used without incident for more than 100 years.

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