Folic Acid in Bread

Folic acid cuts the risk of fetal neural tube defects such as spina bifida, and women are actively encouraged to start taking it before conception and during pregnancy. However, research indicates that only half of women planning to have children take the supplement.

The FSA want mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid, which could benefit women who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. However, there are worries that adding the vitamin to everyday foods like bread could cause harm to another section of society: the elderly. Unfortunately, taking the supplement can mean that a deficiency in B12 goes unnoticed, and for the elderly, this common problem can result, in extreme cases, in damage to the nervous system.

Under the FSA's draft proposals the vitamin would not be added to wholemeal and other breads. Some foods in the UK, such as breakfast cereal and margarine do already include folic acid. Other countries, including the US and Canada, have already made fortification of flour with folic acid compulsory.

Here at ThinkBaby would love to hear what you think about this proposal. Do you consider the scheme to be a practical way of introducing folic acid into the nation's - and pregnant women's - diet? Or do you feel mandatory fortification is unfair on those who won't directly benefit?

For more about the proposals, check out the Food Standards Agency website. For more about conditions like Spina Bifida, visit the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus wesbite.