FSANZ: Vitamin folic acid must be added to bread-making flour

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) says folic acid must be added to bread-making flour in Australia from this Sunday to reduce the risk of babies being born with birth defects such as spina bifida.

Folic acid is a form of the B vitamin folate.

FSANZ Chief Scientist Dr Paul Brent says Australia has approximately 300 to 350 pregnancies affected each year by a neural tube defect like spina bifida.

Neural tube defects are among the most serious birth defects.

With spina bifida, the spinal column does not close properly and the baby is born with exposed nerves and damaged vertebrae.

The effects are permanent. Children with spina bifida can face paralysis, problems with mobility, muscle control, co-ordination and learning.

Mandatory addition of folic acid to the flour used to make bread is expected to reduce the number of these affected pregnancies by up to 14%.

“We have permitted the food industry to voluntarily add folic acid to foods such as bread, fruit juices, yeast extracts and breakfast cereal for more than 10 years,” says Dr Brent.

“There have also been many education campaigns to encourage women to take folic acid supplements. While this has increased women’s intake of folic acid they are still not reaching the required level of 400 micrograms a day.”

“Mandatory folic acid addition to flour has been used safely in the United States and Canada for over 10 years where rates of spina bifida have significantly decreased.”

“Australian health authorities will be monitoring the effects of the increased levels of folic acid in the food supply.”