Popeyes Plans to Get Rid of MSG in Chicken by 2025

The famous Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen making steps toward ridding its chicken of monosodium glutamate, commonly known as MSG.

The restaurants now plans to eliminate the flavor enhancer out of their chicken by 2025 — three years later than its previous commitment to remove it by the end of 2022. Popeyes blames the delay on supply-chain issues but insists the company is still moving to a more natural, enhanced menu without artificial flavors or preservatives.

“We are currently testing all-clean ingredients in our batter, breading, and sandwiches in a few U.S. markets, and we expect to be on track to an all-clean menu nationwide by 2025. We had hoped to achieve this earlier, however, our process of testing new ingredients and getting extensive guest feedback on recipe changes has been slowed down by a challenging supply-chain environment,” Popeyes Lousiana Kitchen told Bloomberg. 

MSG is a type of sodium salt that enhances the flavor of foods. Though it may taste good, the ingredient has received much backlash and was deemed unhealthy as some side effects include nausea, headaches, and sensitive stomachs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says MSG is safe, though. 

Restaurants like McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A have the additive, but restaurants have been trying to improve the health of the environmental impact by removing artificial flavors and preservatives. 

With the supply-chain crisis, many restaurants hoping to get rid of MSG sooner have run into issues with replacing the additives. Chipotle Mexican Grill still struggles to source “humane-certified chicken,” according to Fortune.