Purpose of review Total glutamate (Glu) intake is 5-20 g/day in adults and about 40 mg/kg in breast-fed infant. Glu intake is constituted by Glu from protein and free Glu from certain foods and flavor-enhancing additive. The admissible intake of free Glu additive is addressed. Recent finding In the gut, Glu is actively metabolized by enterocytes and because of this metabolism, the systemic availability of ingested Glu remains relatively low. Human studies are preferred to assess the transfer in blood of dietary free Glu salts and their possible risks. When human data are not available, experimental animal models provide the basis to assess the risks to humans but toxicity studies in rodents remain for a part controversial. A No Observable Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) in rodent of 3200 mg/kg/day and an uncertainty factor of 100 lead to an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 30 mg/kg/day for free Glu salts used as additives, whereas a NOAEL higher than 6000 mg/kg/day and an uncertainty factor of 25 leads to an ADI of 240 mg/kg/day for free Glu salts. Current discussions indicate an ADI from 30 to 240 mg/kg/day depending on the chosen NOAEL in animal model and compound-specific uncertainty factor (from 25 to 100).