Chinese Food Enhancer MSG Safe for Most People, FDA Says

A new Food and Drug Administration report released Thursday concluded that monosodium glutamate--the controversial flavor enhancer often added to Chinese food--generally is safe to eat, finding that it causes a mild reaction in only a tiny part of the population.

The report, prepared for the FDA by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, said there is no scientific evidence that any “free glutamate,” the chemical family to which MSG belongs, causes or aggravates severe disease. However, the report cautioned that MSG could exacerbate problems for people with severe asthma.

The FDA said that it will change the way some foods that contain “significant amounts” of MSG are labeled to include the free glutamate content, so that people who fear MSG will know how much they’re eating. It did not give any details on which foods might require new labels.

Currently, foods must be specifically labeled as containing MSG only when the chemical itself is added to the product and not when a glutamate is naturally found in foods or in other ingredients contained in the product. MSG is found naturally in tomatoes, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.

Complaints about MSG first surfaced in the late 1960s, when its opponents claimed that it caused a wide variety of health problems, including headaches, Alzheimer’s disease and even death.

“I’m appalled,” said Jack Samuels, president of Truth in Labeling, an Illinois group that has filed a lawsuit against the FDA seeking to require labeling of all MSG contained in food. “They are disregarding the public health of millions of Americans,” he said.

Samuels, who blames MSG for exacerbating his blood pressure problems, added: “By only disclosing certain levels of MSG, they are caving in to the food industry. There is no scientific study that can tell us what level of MSG is safe.”

While the FDA study found no long-term medical problems, it said that some individuals will develop “MSG symptom complex,” a short-term reaction that often includes headaches, numbness, tingling sensations and heart palpitations, if they consume more than three grams of the additive per meal. In addition, some asthma patients may suffer breathing spasms.

The average person eats half a gram of glutamates a day.

The study, the most comprehensive review to date, was commissioned in September, 1992, in response to lingering questions about the safety of MSG.