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Conflict of interests and consensus meetings

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 63, page 301 (2009)Cite this article

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a food additive widely used to promote flavour enhancement. Although considerable research has been focused on the potential hazards to humans from MSG ingestion, the debate around this topic is still incredibly vivid. Beyreuther et al. (2007) recently published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the results of a consensus meeting of experts on the field. The authors concluded that total intake of MSG in Europe lies within the considered safe range of consumption. I was, however, particularly surprised to see that no statement about conflict of interest was presented in their paper. Originally discovered and patented by the Japanese company Ajinomoto about a century ago, MSG has markedly grown in importance in the food industry. The economical implications of this cannot be underestimated, and authors opining on the subject are expected to clearly manifest if any potential conflict of interest is therefore present. That declaration would facilitate readers to reach their own conclusions in a more transparent way. I would be inclined to suggest the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition to include a formal recommendation in the ‘Instruction for Authors’ regarding competing interests, to be shown in the published manuscript.

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References

  • Beyreuther K, Biesalski HK, Fernstrom JD, Grimm P, Hammes WP, Heinemann U et al. (2007). Consensus meeting: monosodium glutamate—an update. Eur J Clin Nutr 61, 304–313.

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  1. School of Medicine, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    A C Pasqualotto

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  1. A C Pasqualotto
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Pasqualotto, A. Conflict of interests and consensus meetings. Eur J Clin Nutr 63, 301 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602909

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