A Swiss lobby group is stepping up pressure on the Government to introduce mandatory folic acid fortification of flour, according to a report in the Zurich-based newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
Deficiency of the B vitamin has been linked to increased risk of birth defects in babies, but also to greater incidence of cardiovascular problems, depression and Alzheimer's disease.
The 'Folsaeure Offensive' says that women in Switzerland need to double their intake of B9 during pregnancy and that 70 per cent of all cases of spina bifida could be prevented through an adequate intake of folic acid, according to the report.
The group, set up in 2000 with the support of numerous leading food makers such as Migros, Knorr and Nestle, want the Government to require that folic acid is added to bread by including cold-pressed wheatgerm in flour. Another organisation, the Swiss Foundation for Consumer Protection, has been running a letter campaign to pressure food suppliers into adding folic acid to their products.
This group says it has met with strong resistance from bakers although the Swiss government claims to be investigating the issue. Recommendations produced by a committee of experts are likely to be published for consultation.
In Switzerland the daily recommended dose of B9 is 2mg, compared to 3mg in Germany and 4mg in the US. The report claims that Swiss people only consume around 0.25mg of folic acid daily, compared to the 8mg needed by pregnant women.
The Folsauere campaign is likely to see a resistance to folic acid fortification typical in Europe. While the process has been in place for some years in the US, Canada and Chile, with success demonstrated by recent studies, the UK's Food Standards Agency last year decided against fortification on the grounds that not enough was known about the potential adverse effects.