Fortifying grain products with 140 micrograms of folic acid per 100 grams of flour has been lauded as one of the “10 great public health achievements” in the U.S.. ..When folic acid fortification was implemented, first as a recommendation in 1992 and then as a requirement in 1998, corn masa flour wasn’t widely consumed ...Since then, the population of Hispanics in the U.S. has jumped from about 31 million in 1998, or 11.4 percent of the population, to 53 million in 2012, or 17 percent of the population, according to census data. Corn masa consumption has climbed, too, with the Tortilla Industry Association estimating that Americans consume about 85 billion tortillas a year. But the FDA can’t simply apply rules for wheat and rice products to corn, Pellegrini said. Instead, the agency is requiring extensive — and expensive — testing to determine the safety and stability of adding folic acid to corn masa flour. The trouble is, neither the March of Dimes nor its co-petitioners — the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Spina Bifida Association and others — has the deep pockets to fund the extensive testing. ...But with the lifetime cost of caring for one child with spina bifida estimated at $729,000, some public health advocates say that fortifying corn masa should be only obvious. ...Several other countries already allow fortification of corn masa products with folic acid, including Costa Rica, El Salvador and Mexico.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 01:55:57 +0000
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