Food and nutrition experts at the Quadram Institute in Norwich are supporting new legislation to add folic acid to non-wholemeal wheat flour.
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced the addition from 2026 to help prevent serious brain and spine problems in newborns.
Dr Laura Bardon, a food policy research scientist at the Quadram Institute, said: “This is a big win for public health in the UK.
"This is a hugely positive step and is expected to prevent around 200 cases of neural tube defects each year.”
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Neural tube defects (NTDs) are abnormalities that happen in the brain, spinal cord or spine of a developing foetus.
NTDs occur in the early weeks of pregnancy as the neural tube, which forms the spine and brain of the baby, develops.
Folic acid is an important nutrient in this process which reduces the risk of NTDs.
All women of childbearing age are recommended to take a folic acid supplement of 400 micrograms a day due to the high number of unplanned pregnancies.
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