“Multiple readers told VERIFY they’ve seen contradicting information about the flavor enhancer and want to know about the safety of eating foods with MSG. Is MSG safe to eat? Yes.”
— as documented on VerifyThis.com on February 5, 2024
Excerpts from this report:
“National health organizations and experts agree that MSG is safe to consume as part of a balanced diet.
“The FDA categorizes MSG to be “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS. This means MSG is an FDA-approved food additive.
“ ‘For a substance to be GRAS, the scientific data and information about the use of a substance must be widely known and there must be a consensus among qualified experts that those data and information establish that the substance is safe under the conditions of its intended use,’ ” the FDA says.
“While the FDA says they have received reports of symptoms like headaches and nausea after eating food that had MSG, they ‘were never able to confirm that the MSG caused the reported effects’ and ‘scientists have not been able to consistently trigger reactions.’
“The FDA says studies found that mild symptoms, including headaches and numbness, occurred in people who consumed more than three grams of MSG without food, although most foods with MSG contain less than 0.5 grams of the substance.
“Over the years, other studies have looked into the correlation between eating MSG and symptoms like headache, upset stomach and heart palpitations. While some studies did not determine a correlation between experiencing symptoms and eating MSG, others found that it only occurred if MSG was consumed in excessive amounts.”