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Bread fortification to prevent brain defects in babies

15-Nov-2024 - Last updated on 15-Nov-2024 at 16:25 GMT

It will be mandatory to add folic acid to non-wholemeal flour from 2025. Image: Getty / Lucy Lambriex

New regulations that will see folic acid added to all non-wholemeal flour in the UK will prevent around 200 cases of debilitating brain and spine defects in babies every year, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

New legislation will require millers and flour producers to fortify non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid from the end of 2026.

First announced in 2021, bakery manufacturers widely welcomed the government’s decision to make the addition of folic acid mandatory.

According to Defra, this new legislation will reduce neural tube defects by 20% in the UK and improve the health of pregnant women, all while delivering savings of £20m to the NHS over 10 years and boost the economy by more than £90m over the same period.

Shift to prevention

Andrew Gwynne, minister for public health and prevention, said shifting care from sickness to prevention was one of the leading ambitions for the government’s 10-year health plan and that these measures were a simple and effective way to improve health outcomes in babies.

Women who are trying for a baby are already advised by the NHS to take folic acid supplements for around three months before getting pregnant and for at least 12 weeks after becoming pregnant. This recommendation will remain in place after the new regulations on flour are brought in.

However, since it is estimated half of all pregnancies in the UK are unplanned, the new regulations will help provide women with a higher baseline intake of folic acid, better protecting their babies in all scenarios.

Proven effectiveness

Joe Brennan, head of technical and regulatory affairs at UK Flour Millers noted flour was already fortified with folic acid in many countries – such as Australia and Canada – and has proven an effective way of reducing neural tube defects in babies.

“The UK flour milling sector has been working closely with government to facilitate this public health initiative for some years,” he added.

“Flour remains one of the most widely consumed ingredients, so there is a logic to fortifying flour with folic acid, supported by public health experts. Folic acid will join other fortificants including vitamins and minerals which have been added to flour since the 1940s, in line with Government bread and flour regulations.”

Meanwhile, in a one-on-one interview with Food Manufacture’s editor, Baroness Walmsley discusses the recommendations laid out in the Food, Diet and Obesity Committee’s Recipe for Health report.