Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) mandating the fortification of flour and flour-based products with folic acid, and (2) informing pregnant women of the benefits of ingesting folic acid by other means.

The United Kingdom Government has made no formal assessment of the impact of mandating the fortification of flour and flour-based products with folic acid or of informing pregnant women of the benefits of ingesting folic acid by other means.

Women who are trying to conceive or who are likely to become pregnant are advised to take a daily supplement of 400 micrograms of folic acid until the 12th week of pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects in their unborn babies. They are also advised to increase their daily intake of folate by eating more folate-rich foods, for example spinach and broccoli, and foods voluntarily fortified with folic acid such a wide range of breakfast cereals. Health education messages on folic acid as part of a range of pregnancy advice are provided in various settings targeted at women of childbearing age such as family planning clinics and general practitioner surgeries. Additionally, NHS Choices provides information online on healthy lifestyle advice during pregnancy including the importance of folic acid supplementation. The NHS Start4life Information Service for Parents provides parents-to-be and new parents with advice and information about pregnancy and the first few months with a baby, using free emails, videos and text messages.