Australia is going it alone : fortification of bread-making flour with synthetic folate

First Fluoride and now Folic Acid

Folic acid in a loaf near you

MOST bread will be fortified with synthetic folate from today in a bid to reduce birth defects in babies. Folic acid has been proven to reduce the risk of neural-tube defects such as spina bifida in unborn children.

Link

I don't know about anyone else but if your not having babies why are the rest forced to have extra folic acid. Look there are zillions of different breads on the shelves why can't one of them be marked "Extra folate for pregnancy"

Yes I have a choice I can pay twice as much to eat Organic bread.


Oh well I suppose bread and water go together more fluoride and foliate I guess
sarcasm off

This link from 2 years ago, public and bakers were against it. As far as I know there are no other counties doing it - why

Consumers don't want folate in bread

You're right, it should be labelled clearly that this bread is good for pregnant women and this is not necessary for those who are not pregnant.

Excessive folic acid is said to cause kidney damage, lowered zinc levels and convulsive seizures in epileptics.

From wikipedia: Zinc deficiency affects about two billion people in the developing world and is associated with many diseases. In children it causes growth retardation, delayed sexual maturation, infection susceptibility, and diarrhea, contributing to the death of about 800,000 children worldwide per year.

On the flip side of the coin, Zinc excess causes ataxia, lethargy and copper deficiency.

You could buy a breadmaker and bake your own bread, that way you know exactly what you eat, unless the government directly adds folic acid to the flour before it can be sold, and then we'd have to grow our own grain.... Oh dear.

reply to post by star in a jar


Thanks Star in a jar
Exactly right - Its difficult to find out at the moment but it appears they add the folic to the flour and that gives bakers no choice. I assume if you buy flour from the supermarket specifically for bread making you know the stuff in the larger bags that will have it also. You will need to look specifically for organic flour.

I think organic flour shroud be labeled "FOR EVERYONE ELSE NOT PREGNANT WOMEN"

I mean really, what will be next and if your country is not doing this then be warned. Its not the fact its good or bad its about freedom of choice surly pregnant women are smart enough to choose for them self.

Yet another test to see haw far we can be pushed...........

It's been at least a year since the U.S. started allowing synthetic folic acid to be added to all "enriched flour" products, which is pretty nearly everything.

My family's solution is to buy only those organic flour-based products which do not have folic acid added. That includes some noodle products (check especially in markets that sell Asian imports, which rarely have folic acid added ... a loophole!), sprouted wheat products (the Food4Life brand avoids folic acid also). and often flatbread products are also minus the folic.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published an article about a year ago citing special dangers for seniors (60+ years of age) who it turns out have even lower tolerance to synthetic folic acid.

[edit on 9/24/2009 by Uphill]