Intake of folic acid has been proven to reduce the number of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects, of which spina bifida is the most common. The Government themselves recommend that women who are planning a pregnancy or are within the first 12 weeks of their pregnancy should take a daily 400 microgram supplement of folic acid. However, only 31% of women take the correct dosage, and many do not begin until they are pregnant, when it is too late. Bearing in mind that 45% of pregnancies are unplanned—in those cases, there is no possibility to plan ahead. Overall, 75% of women of childbearing age across the UK are at increased risk of having a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect due to having lower than the recommended level of folic acid.
There is no evidence to suggest that mandatory fortification would be anything other than beneficial, given that recent research shows there is no longer a basis for setting an upper limit on folic acid intake. The argument is further strengthened by the experience in at least 81 countries, including the USA, Canada and Australia. No country that has taken the step of mandating the fortification of flour has gone on to reverse it. It is clearly time for the UK to follow suit.
The issue is particularly pressing in Scotland, where proportionately more children are born with spina bifida than in other parts of the UK and folic acid levels are particularly low—lower than in the UK as a whole, which itself has low levels by international standards. The Scottish Government and SBH Scotland, who are based in my constituency and with whom I have worked closely, have supported compulsory fortification of flour for many years. Unfortunately, although power over the issue is devolved to Scotland, the advice from Food Standards Scotland is that realistically, given the way in which the flour and milling industries are structured, a response is better delivered UK-wide, which is what I urge the UK Government to do.
The Holyrood Government, the Welsh Government, the Northern Ireland Department of Health, the Food Standards Agency, Public Health England, the British Medical Association, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and all the royal colleges are on board. The science and case studies point overwhelmingly in favour of mandatory fortification.
In October 2018, the Public Health Minister Steve Brine announced that the government will consult on the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to prevent fetal abnormalities. Until set in stone, I will continue to support this campaign by Cumbernauld-based Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland and others in Parliament.
There is no evidence to suggest that mandatory fortification would be anything other than beneficial, given that recent research shows there is no longer a basis for setting an upper limit on folic acid intake. The argument is further strengthened by the experience in at least 81 countries, including the USA, Canada and Australia. No country that has taken the step of mandating the fortification of flour has gone on to reverse it. It is clearly time for the UK to follow suit.
The issue is particularly pressing in Scotland, where proportionately more children are born with spina bifida than in other parts of the UK and folic acid levels are particularly low—lower than in the UK as a whole, which itself has low levels by international standards. The Scottish Government and SBH Scotland, who are based in my constituency and with whom I have worked closely, have supported compulsory fortification of flour for many years. Unfortunately, although power over the issue is devolved to Scotland, the advice from Food Standards Scotland is that realistically, given the way in which the flour and milling industries are structured, a response is better delivered UK-wide, which is what I urge the UK Government to do.
The Holyrood Government, the Welsh Government, the Northern Ireland Department of Health, the Food Standards Agency, Public Health England, the British Medical Association, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and all the royal colleges are on board. The science and case studies point overwhelmingly in favour of mandatory fortification.
In October 2018, the Public Health Minister Steve Brine announced that the government will consult on the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to prevent fetal abnormalities. Until set in stone, I will continue to support this campaign by Cumbernauld-based Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland and others in Parliament.