New Zealand's Chief Science Advisor and the Royal Society Te Apārangi have backed the health benefits of fortifying bread with folic acid, adding to calls for mandatory fortification in the country.
A majority of poor women in urban areas are still at risk of folic acid and folate deficiency, even with government-sanctioned mandatory fortifications, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.
To date 75 countries globally have implemented mandatory fortification programmes for folic acid with the aim of preventing neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies. Yet despite growing calls from NGOs, health experts and researchers, the 28 EU member countries...
New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has called for submissions on its latest consultation paper set to decide between mandatory implementation of folic acid fortification or a continued voluntary policy.