Watchdog backs use of folic acid in bread to prevent spina bifida

Food officials have approved the latest functional food process - routine addition of folic acid to bread or flour to prevent birth defects.

The board of the Food Standards Agency voted unanimously yesterday to back fortification and rejected criticism that it would lead to mass medication of the population.

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But it called for more research to determine if the vitamin, found in dark green leafy vegetables, should be added only to bread, or to flour which would mean it would go into all flour-based products such as cakes and biscuits. Wholemeal flour will be exempt.

Fortifying bread with folic acid is seen as the best way of cutting birth defects such as spina bifida, which affects 700-900 babies born in the UK each year. Up to 160 cases a year could be prevented, the FSA said. Mandatory fortification was introduced in the US 10 years ago and in other countries including Canada and Chile. Spina bifida rates have since fallen by between a quarter and a half in these countries.

The decision marks the end of a long debate on the merits of fortification. Critics argued it could present difficulties for bakers, push up the price of bread and reduce consumer choice. They also warned folic acid may hide vitamin B12 deficiency among the elderly, a rare condition but which can have serious neurological effects. However, research by a panel of British scientific advisers found no evidence that this happens when folic acid intake is low.

The FSA board will discuss the merits of fortifying bread or flour, and how the products should be labelled, at its next meeting in June before making a final recommendation.

Dr Patricia Hamilton, head of the Royal College of Paediatrics, welcomed the decision, as did the Federation of Bakers.

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