The Folic Acid Debate

Bread in the UK might become just a little more synthetic if the addition of folic acid to flour becomes mandatory. The industry is surely considering it.

"The board of the government agency unanimously agreed on Thursday to recommend mandatory fortification of some foods with folic acid, following a final consultation with stakeholders and a positive opinion from the FSA's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

..There is some evidence to show that folic acid could mask deficiency of other B vitamins in the elderly and there are also fears of the effects of large amounts of folic acid in young children.

Meanwhile organic bakers say that they cannot add a synthetic vitamin to their products that are by definition free of all additives."

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I might be mistaken, but isn't this process already mandatory in America? I do think it's unfair to force organic bakers to fortify their products because they should be able to decide what goes into what they bake and sell.