Naomi Judd Never Said 'Slave Food' ... Ray J Got It Wrong

Ray J did Naomi Judd dirty when he accused her of calling grits "slave food" while they were shooting their reality TV cooking competition -- because she NEVER used those words.

According to sources connected to "My Kitchen Rules" ... when the cast gathered Wednesday, producers played back the "grits" footage in question. We're told what really happened is Lance Bass and his mom served shrimp and grits -- as part of the show -- and during the meal Naomi said when she was growing up her mother wouldn't let her eat grits ... because it was poor people's food.

It's a huge distinction from what Ray J said in his video post -- that he'd seen Naomi refer to grits as "slave food." We're told Naomi was merely telling a story about something her mom had said.

Not to say the "poor people" comment is great, but it's a big difference from "slave food" -- plus, they were her mom's words, not Naomi's.

Still, we're told Ray J took the comment as low key racism, and he's unhappy about it.