Restaurants don't have to warn of MSG content: food agency

Restaurants do not have to warn customers when monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been added to their food.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today announced the decision of its board not to require the mandatory declaration of added MSG in foods served in restaurants and other food outlets.

MSG, the sodium salt of glutamic acid, is a powerful flavour enhancer for food which can cause a severe reaction in some people.

The New South Wales state government had asked for food standards to require restaurants and takeaways outlets to warn customers when MSG was added to food.

Food Standards managing director Ian Lindenmayer said the board accepted that, in certain circumstances, "some people may experience some reaction to large amounts of MSG when consumed in a single meal".

But the authority had found evidence that, following high exposure, MSG may be responsible for causing mild reactions in only a very small proportion of the population.

"These reactions, while unpleasant, tend to be transient and do not produce any long-lasting effects," he said in a statement. "There is no robust evidence that MSG is a significant trigger factor in more serious reactions such as asthmatic attacks.

"Our risk analysis found overwhelming evidence that MSG is safe for the general population at the levels typically incorporated into various foods."

- NZPA