We call on the Government to amend the law to ensure there are at least one non-wholemeal flour option without folic acid fortification, and to exempt organic flour from mandatory folic acid fortification requirement from December 2026.
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We believe this protects consumer choice and people who might need to avoid synthetic folic acid for health reasons.
Mandatory folic acid fortification affects the whole population, despite only a small proportion being at risk of issues due to a lack of folate, such as neural tube defects (NTDs) in unborn babies. NTDs only affect pregnancies, yet the entire population will be impacted. Some data suggests that NTDs can also stem from other causes, which folic acid cannot prevent. People should still have access to non-fortified and organic flour.