PRESS UPDATE - Folic Acid Fortification

Published: 04 July 2007

The Food Standards Agency agreed on the 17 May 2007 that mandatory fortification of either bread or flour should be recommended to UK health ministers.

This would be part of a package of measures to help prevent neural tube defects (NTDs), which can result in miscarriage, neonatal death or lifelong disability.  Demographics show that it is the poorest and most educationally underprivileged women who are most at risk of a spina bifida pregnancy.

Mandatory fortification has already been introduced in the US, Canada and Chile, where it cut NTD defect rates by up to half. This evidence has prompted the FSA board to agree to the measure after rejecting it five years ago.

Folic acid is a source of folate, a vitamin found in broccoli, sprouts, peas, chickpeas, brown rice and fruit.  It is important for the development of the spine in the first stages of pregnancy and women are advised to eat extra folic acid when trying to get pregnant.  However, research suggests that only half of such women adhere to this advice.  Also, up to half of pregnancies are unplanned, meaning women may miss the opportunity.

Next steps
The FSA board could not agree on whether folic acid should be added to bread or to flour, which would mean it would also be included in biscuits and cakes.  These issues of technicality and implementation are scheduled to be resolved next month.

For further information click here