Adding folate to bread is to become mandatory, disappointing bakers and food manufacturers.
Folic acid is the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate, which
is found naturally in green vegetables, like spinach and broccoli,
in oranges and orange juice, and dried beans and peas, among other
foods.
Since 1998, the US has required that folic acid be added to
fortified grain products. The move was based on research showing
that adequate folate intake early in pregnancy helps prevent neural
tube defects - birth defects of the brain and spine.
Because neural tube defects develop in the early weeks of
pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant, it is
recommended that all women of childbearing age get 400 micrograms
of folate or folic acid every day.
In Australia, folic acid will be added to the flour while in New
Zealand, it will be added during the bread-making process. Organic
and non-yeast breads will be exempt.
Health Minister Annette King describes the decision as a triumph for humanity and common sense. She says evidence suggests it will reduce the incidence of spina bifida and hydrocephalus in new born babies by between four and 14% a year.
The Green Party, who strongly opposed the initial proposal to add folate to all flour, are hailing the decision to make organic bread exempt.
"We are pleased that the Minister has not slavishly followed Australia, and required folate to be added to all flour, and has instead come up with a New Zealand based solution - of adding folate during the bread making process," says Health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley
She says the rules mean the organic standard will not be undermined in New Zealand, so people have a choice if they want to avoid folate-fortified bread.
Kedgley says the ruling is a victory for consumer choice.
But bakers say it is not really a choice at all.
Executive Officer of the Bakers' Association Marcia Dunnett says exempting organic and non-yeasts bread from compulsory folation doesn't means consumers have a choice. She says it is such a narrow choice it means it's really no choice at all.
The Bakers Association would have preferred folic acid being added only to a range of breads, so consumers could choose to have it if they wanted.
Food manufacturers believe the government would have been better off putting folic acid in a wider range of food products.
Brenda Cutress of the Food and Grocery Council says adding folate to bread won't solve the problem of neural tube defects in babies the way the government hopes.
She says for women to get the recommended intake of folate from bread, they will need to eat 11 slices a day.
Cutress says it would be better to widen the range of foods folate is added to, to include cereals and dairy products. She says an education campaign is also needed to encourage the use of folate supplements.
Adding folate to bread will become mandatory in two years.
