Folic acid will be added to bread to reduce conditions such as spina bifida in babies, the Government announced today.
Food Safety Minister Ayesha Verrall said low folate levels in mothers "cause neural tube defects that result in the death of babies, or life-long disability".
"Introducing mandatory fortification is a safe way to ensure women of childbearing age are supported to increase their folic acid consumption."
Countries such as Australia, Canada and the US already put folic acid in bread and have lower rates of neural tube defects. Australia's rate fell 14 per cent after its introduction of folic acid in bread.
"A little over half of pregnancies in New Zealand are unplanned, so it’s not practical for all women to take a folic acid supplement one month before they conceive."
"This B vitamin is safe and essential for health; particularly for development of babies early in pregnancy. Folate is naturally present in food; folic acid fortification restores what is lost during processing such as flour milling," Verrall said.
It’s being done to protect babies from health issues. (Source: Other)
"Organic and non-wheat flour will be exempt from fortification, providing a choice for consumers who don’t want to consume folic acid."
It was estimated it could prevent between 162 and 240 neural tube defects over 30 years.
Verrall said she thought mandating folic acid in non-organic wheat was something New Zealand should be doing since she graduated from medical school.
"Throughout my time as a doctor I looked after people with this condition and knew it was entirely preventable if we took this action.
"People with spina bifida can have recurrent urinary tract infections because the nerves around their bladder are affected by the condition, also sometimes they require a lot of surgeries to fix the condition in their spine and as a result from that can get serious infections.
"They have a long journey through the health system because the life-long nature of the condition."
Verrall said there was a lot of frustration previously in the sector it was not mandated.
In 2017 34 per cent of New Zealand bread already had folic in it.
The infrastructure is estimated to cost $1.6 million, and would take about two years to be put into place.
Find out more about folic acid here
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