Organic bakers fight forced addition of folic acid

Organic bakers want to keep their loaves free of synthetic additives, including folic acid.

Organic bakers are demanding their loaves be kept free of folic acid if ministers vote next week to force its addition to almost all breads.

The Greens support the organic bakers, and the National Party is pushing for the whole transtasman experiment of mandatory folic acid fortification to be delayed until knowledge on its health effects improves.

The agency behind the plan has admitted uncertainties about its effects on children and cancer rates, saying population monitoring will be needed.

Groups representing big baking companies and artisan bakers have already denounced "mass medication" through mandatory fortification of bread.

The transtasman scheme is designed to reduce the incidence of certain birth defects, mainly spina bifida, by increasing intake of the synthetic vitamin folic acid by women around the time of becoming pregnant.

But it will not provide the full amount required - to avoid over-dosing others - so taking folic acid tablets will still be advised.

Food Safety Minister Annette King will vote on the plan with her Australian counterparts in Canberra on Wednesday next week.

Soil & Health Association spokesman Steffan Browning, representing organic bakers, said they did not use synthetic additives.

National Party food safety spokesman Paul Hutchison said yesterday the scheme was based on "flimsy evidence" on its likely effectiveness, poor knowledge of the effects on children and risked masking vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly.

He urged first expanding existing voluntary fortification of foods with folic acid, running a folic acid campaign, and further researching mandatory addition.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand wants every 100g of bread to contain 80 to 180 micrograms of folic acid.

Originally it proposed the addition of folic acid to bread-making flour, but this was dropped in August in favour of adding it to the bread during baking - ostensibly to leave some breads and retail flour without it, allowing greater consumer choice.

But as the proposal stands, virtually all bread but homemade would be covered.

"Some unfortified products such as unleavened flat breads ... crumpets and pikelets, pizza bases and retail flours will provide consumers with other options," Food Standards says in its final assessment.

The agency says its plan "does not pose a risk to public health and safety" and is unlikely to mask B12 deficiency.

The level of folic acid addition has been set to minimise any potential health risks because of uncertainties about long-term effects.

"A small proportion of young children (7 per cent of 2-3-year-olds in Australia) are expected to exceed the upper level of intake for folic acid ... Whilst this is undesirable, it is unlikely to pose a health risk as there is a considerable margin or safety inherent in setting the upper level."

A similar proportion of New Zealand infants is expected to exceed the upper level.

Food Standards says uncertainty also remains about "other potential adverse effects (eg, cancer incidence and an increase in multiple births) from increased folic acid".