Different rates of uptake. That's the difference. That's why eating a box of cherry tomatoes and a bowl of ramen have drastically different effects on your sense of well-being.
At the very least, people should be made aware whether it's in certain foods. Then they can choose what's best for them.
Personally, MSG bedrocks me. I have to take a sick day off work in some cases after eating an MSG-laden meal. I've developed the skill to taste it now, after a brief tour through Asia. So I guess I can manage.
The surest bet is just to eat natural. What have humans been eating for the past 2,3, 10 million years? Please, give me a plentiful variation of all that.
But this practice of deeming artificial foods "safe" for consumption after a few year's testing reeks of greedy arrogance.