Fortified bread flour regulations now mandated in NZ

All non-organic wheat flour for breadmaking must now be fortified with B-vitamin folic acid in New Zealand, to protect babies from serious birth defects.

Vincent Arbuckle, New Zealand Food Safety Deputy-Director General, said folic acid is proven to reduce the prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs), which can be life-threatening for babies. “And as Māori and Pasifika babies have higher rates of NTDs, fortifying bread will particularly benefit these communities.”

NTDs are a group of birth defects in which the brain and spinal cord have not developed properly. They can be life-threatening for unborn babies during pregnancy and cause severe disabilities. Folate is a B vitamin that is needed for healthy growth and development, particularly for the healthy development of babies during early pregnancy. Folic acid is a synthetic version of folate.

Mandatory folic acid fortification has been safely introduced in more than 80 countries, including Australia, the US and Canada.

In New Zealand, bakers have been fortifying bread with folic acid under a voluntary scheme for about 10 years. About 40% of the packaged bread currently in supermarkets is already fortified.

In Australia, mandatory fortification was introduced in 2009, which led to NTD rates subsequently falling 14% in the general population, 55% in teenage pregnancies and 74% in Indigenous populations.

Organic bread, bread or flour made from other grains and wheat flour not specifically intended for breadmaking (such as for biscuits, cakes, pastry and pizzas) does not need to be fortified.

Image credit: iStock.com/YaroslavKryuchka