SNP scraps plan to add folic acid to our bread
PlAnS to add folic acid to bread and flour in a bid to cut physical defects in babies have been ditched by the SnP.
Scottish ministers announced last year they would press ahead with the proposal, saying it could ‘help save many families from the heartbreak of being told their baby has spina bifida’.
But yesterday they confirmed they will now not move ahead with the plan, after advisers warned of the ‘cost and practical implications’ of having different rules for food producers on both sides of the Border.
instead, the Scottish and Welsh Governments called for the move to be introduced UK-wide.
the Department of Health said it would consider the proposal, after the move was recommended earlier this year by scientific advisers.
Supporters of mandatory folic acid in flour say it happens safely in 78 countries, including the US.
But opponents say it could put some at risk of consuming too much folic acid – with some fears that unintended side-effects include a greater risk of cancer.
the Scottish Government said it dropped proposals to introduce ‘mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid’ following advice from Food Standards Scotland, due to ‘cost and practical implications’.
it said the move should be introduced on a UK-wide basis.
A joint letter to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt from Scottish Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell and Welsh Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said: ‘We want to work together to make this happen. We strongly urge you and your ministerial colleagues to reconsider your position and press ahead quickly with a decision on mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid for England, and to agree to a uniform approach to the introduction of legislation across the UK.’
Professor Janice Rymer of the Royal College of obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: ‘We have long supported fortification of flour with folic acid as a public health means to prevent neural tube defects in babies and welcome calls from the Scottish and Welsh Governments to introduce mandatory fortification across the UK.
‘Research has shown that folic acid supplementation before and up to the first trimester of pregnancy reduces risk of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.’
in an update earlier this year, the Scientific Advisory Committee on nutrition (SACn) told the UK Government it supported mandatory folic acid fortification.
A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘We are grateful to SACn for their recent review of the evidence on folic acid.
‘We will carefully consider their conclusions and respond in due course.’
‘We want to make this happen’