It seems that some food scares stick around. In 2002 the European Food Information Council said MSG’s bad press was unfounded, and that it was a safe and useful taste enhancer for foods. But ten years later, a survey conducted by Leatherhead Food Research in 2012 found 63% of the 1,244 surveyed consumers still said they wanted less MSG in their food and drink.

Despite that, volume consumption for Western Europe has risen over the past five years and will continue to do so according to Euromonitor, which forecasts a 5.3% increase in year on year growth for MSG consumption over the period 2014-2019. However there are significant regional differences – Italy will see a 5.6% fall while growth in Norway is tipped to rise 6.7%.