This week legislation was passed in the UK that will require all white flour production to be fortified with folic acid by the end of 2026, this will ensure that all subsequent products made with white flour such as bread and pasta will be fortified (wholemeal and gluten free flour not included).
Food fortification is the process of adding important micronutrients to commonly consumed foods in order to improve nutritional quality and confer health benefits sometimes to specific groups within the population, in this case pregnant women (Chadare et al., 2019). Flour in the UK is already fortified with niacin, thiamine, calcium and iron to help ensure a healthy intake within the general population, we will now be joining the 80+ countries including Canada, New Zealand and the United States who already fortify their flour with folic acid.
It is important that women intending to get pregnant obtain adequate levels of folic acid to prevent neural tube defects from forming within the developing foetus as this can lead to the debilitating condition spina bifida or the fatal birth defect anencephaly. There are around 200 cases per year of neural tube defects in the UK, countries that have already introduced folic acid fortification have shown a 20% reduction and an improvement in the overall health of pregnant women (De Wals et al., 2007).
It is important to point out that NHS guidelines still recommend that women planning to become pregnant are to take folic acid supplementation for three months before conceiving and at least 12 weeks following pregnancy Vitamins, minerals and supplements in pregnancy – NHS. Fortification will target those unplanned pregnancies which contribute to around 50% of all pregnancies in the UK and provide a good baseline and improved overall health for all pregnant women.
References
Chadare, F. J., Idohou, R., Nago, E., Affonfere, M., Agossadou, J., Fassinou, T. K.,…Hounhouigan, D. J. (2019). Conventional and food-to-food fortification: An appraisal of past practices and lessons learned. Food Sci Nutr, 7(9), 2781-2795. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.1133
De Wals, P., Tairou, F., Van Allen, M. I., Uh, S. H., Lowry, R. B., Sibbald, B.,…Niyonsenga, T. (2007). Reduction in neural-tube defects after folic acid fortification in Canada. N Engl J Med, 357(2), 135-142. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa067103
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