Are you happy to see vitamins and minerals being added to your food in order to protect the health of a minority of the population? The public is likely to be asked whether they approve of folic acid being put in bread to help cut the number of babies born with defects such as spina bifida.
The recommendation by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is welcomed by health campaigners, including the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. But it does raise questions about consumer choice and mass medication of the population. What about those who don't want to consume extra vitamins, or feel this is another example of the nanny state run rampant? It seems likely that if the FSA plan goes ahead, folic acid will be added to white and brown flour, including organic types, so your only 'choice' to avoid it will be eating wholemeal bread - although it's possible that too may be fortified.
But there are wider concerns about adding vitamins and minerals to food. The Consumers' Association is concerned that manufacturers are using fortification to market foods high in fat, sugar and salt as healthy. Two years ago it published a report highlighting that some brands of breakfast cereals contained up to 55gs of fat per 100g serving - 5.5 times more than what the FSA considers a high fat content. Several brands also contained high levels of salt.
The Consumers' Association only wants vitamins and minerals to be added to foods that are already healthy. Given that some nutritionists consider white bread unhealthy, as it contains less fibre than brown or wholemeal varieties and has been linked to digestive problems and diabetes, perhaps the FSA should reconsider its plans.
