United Kingdom Mandates the Addition of Folic Acid to Fortified Flour

United Kingdom announces that it will require folic acid to be included in fortified flour.

Though the United Kingdom (UK) Government mandated the fortification of non-whole meal wheat flour in 1940, regulations did not require fortified flour to include folic acid. That changed in 2021 when the UK updated the legislation to include folic acid in its mandatory wheat flour fortification standards. With the stroke of a pen, the new legislation will prevent hundreds of devastating neural tube defects each year.

The change comes in the wake of tireless advocacy from committed public, private, and civic sector advocates including FFI, The Queen’s Nursing Institute - Scotland, International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, and Shine, a UK organization that provides support for families and children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

Since 2013, FFI has provided expert advice to the UK Government and partnered with in-country civic groups to advocate for folic acid to be included in the country’s fortification mandate. During the UK’s Red Tape Challenge, an effort designed to remove unnecessary government regulations, FFI and partners successfully convinced decision makers of the importance and necessity of mandatory flour fortification. FFI also participated in a 2019 public consultation with industry leaders and key stakeholders. As a result of the consultation, policy makers found overwhelming support in favor of adding folic acid to mandatory wheat flour fortification to improve public health outcomes, leading them to ultimately add folic acid to the fortification legislation.

With measurable success in countries around the world, wheat flour fortification with folic acid provides important health benefits for all. Additionally, it is important for babies’ healthy development in early pregnancy. The risk of giving birth to babies with neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly, increases exponentially if women do not have sufficient levels of folic acid before and during their first trimester.

The mandatory addition of folic acid to fortified wheat flour is a major public health victory that will create a stronger future for the UK and may encourage other European countries to mandate fortification.