FDA: MSG, artificial sweetener safe

MANILA, Philippines - Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartame, an artificial sweeteners, are safe food additives, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.

In an advisory, FDA acting director general Kenneth Hartigan-Go said the joint expert committee on food additives of the Food Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization has approved the inclusion of MSG and aspartame in the Codex General Standards for Food Additives (GSFA) STAN 1992-1995.

“The MSG as flavor enhancer is subject to provisions of the GSFA standard and shall always be used under conditions of good manufacturing practices,” he said.

Aspartame, on the other hand, has GSFA provisions for maximum limit in specific food categories, ranging from 100 to 10,000 mg/kg.          

The joint committee was tasked in 1956 to evaluate the safe use of food additives. Codex is an international scientific body, in which the Philippines is a member, that develops food standards and part of its dossier is the GSFA.

Go said MSG and aspartame additives are being used globally, but “generally, there are people who may be sensitive to some food substances.”

“If you are sensitive to MSG, read the food labels prior to buying them as all ingredients are required to be listed on the product label. The declaration of every ingredient in descending order of proportion on the product label is mandatory,” he said.

The official added that both MSG and aspartame are included in the Philippines’ list of permissible food additives under Bureau Circular 2006-016.