Folic acid to be added to flour to prevent spinal conditions in babies

Folic acid will be added to non-wholemeal wheat flour across the UK to help prevent life-threatening spinal conditions in babies.

Folic acid will be added to non-wholemeal wheat flour across the UK to help prevent life-threatening spinal conditions in babies, the Government and devolved administrations have announced.

Adding folic acid will mean foods made with flour, such as bread, will actively help avoid around 200 neural tube defects each year, around 20 per cent of the annual UK total.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “Few things are as important as a baby’s health – and folic acid-fortified flour is a quick, simple win to enhance their development.

“This will give extra peace of mind to parents and families, as well as helping boost the health of adults across the country,” he added on September 20.

Non-wholemeal flour is already an established vehicle for fortification in the UK and the costs of fortification to industry are expected to be minimal.

The addition of folic acid to food has been a successful public health policy in a number of countries worldwide such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, resulting in falls in neural tube defects.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, please remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and follow us on Facebook and Instagram