Who owns Ajinomoto?
Ajinomoto is owned by Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Japan, TSE: 2802).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Integrated Report 2025, 30 September 2025. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Ajinomoto Co., Inc. reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇯🇵 Japan, Tokyo
- Origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- Founded
- 1909
- Category
- Food › Condiments, sauces & seasonings › Spices & seasonings
- Parent ticker
- TSE: 2802
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Ajinomoto
The Ajinomoto seasoning is monosodium glutamate, sold in a shaker and used across East and Southeast Asia in the way salt is used elsewhere. Western anxiety about MSG dates to a 1968 letter to a medical journal and has not been supported by subsequent controlled research.
Ownership timeline of Ajinomoto
Where Ajinomoto sits in Ajinomoto
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Ajinomoto ownership tree →
See the full Ajinomoto brand portfolio (4) →
Other brands owned by Ajinomoto
Ajinomoto controls 4 brands on Brandtree, 3 of them in food.
Also in food
Other brands in spices & seasonings, and who owns them
The 44 brands in spices & seasonings on Brandtree belong to 29 owners. The largest is Patisen, with 5; Ajinomoto has 2.
About the owner: Ajinomoto
Ajinomoto is a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1909. Brandtree records 4 brands under its control, and it is listed as TSE: 2802.
Ajinomoto was founded in 1909 to sell monosodium glutamate, isolated two years earlier by a Tokyo chemist who had identified umami as a distinct basic taste while investigating why kelp broth tasted savoury. The company is now a large food and amino acid business and a significant supplier to the pharmaceutical industry.
🇯🇵 Ajinomoto and other Japanese brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 448 brands that began in Japan. 22 of them (5%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Ajinomoto is not one of them.
- Almond Koka — Glico 🇯🇵
- Amuleia — Nisshin Seifun 🇯🇵
- Aohata — Kewpie 🇯🇵
- C1000 — House Foods 🇯🇵
- Calbee Potato Chips — Calbee 🇯🇵
- Calorie Mate — Otsuka 🇯🇵
Official recalls involving Ajinomoto products
9 recall notices from government regulators matched to Ajinomoto. Each applies to the specific products, sizes and lot codes named in the notice, not to every product sold under the name.
- Item 5650883 Ajinomoto Teppanyaki Style Vegetable Fried Rice - Japanese-style fried rice made with colorful vegetables in an aromatic garlic butter sauce.… — FDA, · Class II
Reason given: Foreign objects are glass varying in size from 1-3cm long and 2-4mm wide.
Recalling firm: Ajinomoto Foods North America Inc.
- Item 5650893 Ajinomoto Japanese-Style Vegetable Fried Rice made with hijiki seaweed, fried tofu, edamame, and other colorful vegetables in an umami dashi… — FDA, · Class II
Reason given: Foreign objects are glass varying in size from 1-3cm long and 2-4mm wide.
Recalling firm: Ajinomoto Foods North America Inc.
- Item 5654390 Ajinomoto Golden Tiger Vegetable Fried Rice - Long grain white rice and crispy vegetables in a savory sauce. Net wt. 3lbs per bag. Retail bag UPC… — FDA, · Class II
Reason given: Foreign objects are glass varying in size from 1-3cm long and 2-4mm wide.
Recalling firm: Ajinomoto Foods North America Inc.
- Item 81097 Ajinomoto Ling Ling Restaurant Style Fried Rice Savory Vegetable - A Chinese Style Fried Rice with Edamame, Carrots, Fire Roasted Corn & Red Bell… — FDA, · Class II
Reason given: Foreign objects are glass varying in size from 1-3cm long and 2-4mm wide.
Recalling firm: Ajinomoto Foods North America Inc.
- Item 81146 Ajinomoto Tai Pei Shrimp Fried Rice - Shrimp, vegetables & fried rice with oyster flavored sauce. Net wt. 48oz or 3lbs. per box. Retail box UPC… — FDA, · Class II
Reason given: Foreign objects are glass varying in size from 1-3cm long and 2-4mm wide.
Recalling firm: Ajinomoto Foods North America Inc.
Matched automatically from FDA, USDA FSIS, UK Food Standards Agency and CPSC records only when the recalling firm corresponds to this ownership record and, for a brand, the brand name appears in the product description. Check the linked notice for exact products and lots. Method.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Ajinomoto?
The parent company of Ajinomoto is Ajinomoto Co., Inc., a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Is Ajinomoto Japanese?
Yes. Ajinomoto originated in Japan in 1909 and its owner, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., is also headquartered in Japan.
Is Ajinomoto still owned by Ajinomoto Co., Inc.?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Ajinomoto is still owned by Ajinomoto Co., Inc. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Integrated Report 2025 — Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Annual report, published 30 September 2025; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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