The MSG panic was one of a chain of food ingredient hysterias that have surfaced the last few decades. The government regulates food additives, in an effort to

The MSG panic was one of a chain of food ingredient hysterias that have surfaced the last few decades. The government regulates food additives, in an effort to ensure that we can all trust our food supply. But food is the "think of the children" of personal choices where risk-averse preferences are difficult to criticize, science has vague answers about no observed adverse effects that don't satisfy choosy people, research is rife with conflicts of interest, and anyone can pretend to be an authority and dispense opinion. It also doesn't help that food regulations aren't the same in every country. This invites scrutiny into the reasons why some have banned a substance while others have not, or perhaps not yet. MSG got caught up in an extended wave of unease against artificial preservatives, artificial colors, trans fats, and even high fructose corn syrup. Smart companies picked up on "changing consumer preference", and replaced these until a few years passed and the hysteria began to die down.