01/09/2026
Why is folic acid being added to bread flour?
Edward Rowe
Gloucestershire Political Reporter
Published
1 hour ago
Bakers and millers say their customers are asking why folic acid is now being put into their products.
The government is giving manufacturers until the end of 2026 to conform to the new legal requirement, announced in 2024, that folic acid should be added to non-wholemeal wheat flour.
Shipton Mill, in Tetbury, said it had been receiving "20 emails a week" about the issue while Hobbs House Bakery, which has stores in Gloucestershire and Bristol, has had questions about it on social media.
The government said the move could prevent about 200 cases of issues such as spina bifida in newborns every year