New Zealand Mandates Wheat Flour Fortification

Photo: A wheat field in New Zealand (Bernard Spragg).

After years of advocacy, New Zealand chooses to fortify its future.

In July 2021, New Zealand mandated that all non-organic wheat flour be fortified with folic acid within the next two years. They join nearly 70 countries that already require folic acid in fortified wheat flour. As a result of the mandate, nearly 5 million people will have access to a vitamin that is essential at every stage of life and critical during pregnancy, when it can prevent hundreds of neural tube birth defects (NTDs).

For nearly two decades, through ongoing consultations and meetings, FFI has worked with key stakeholders in New Zealand to increase awareness of the importance of folic acid fortification. FFI has been instrumental in growing political support to develop fortification mandates. Beginning in 2004, FFI established a communication program with New Zealand and Australia to connect public and private industry leaders in both countries and to support major food industry meetings and fortification summits.

The new fortification regulation will align New Zealand with Australia’s wheat flour fortification program, which resulted in a 14.4% decline in NTDs since 2009, when the country introduced mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.

Increased folic acid intake before and during pregnancy helps prevent more than half of all NTDs and provides other health benefits. One type of NTD, spina bifida, occurs when a baby’s spine does not fully close by the end of the fourth week of pregnancy. As that is before many women even know they are pregnant, it is crucial to have high enough folate levels well before pregnancy to benefit from the nutrient’s preventative effect. According to New Zealand’s Health Minister, more than half of pregnancies in New Zealand are unplanned, making fortification an ideal strategy for preventing NTDs in the country and creating a healthier future.