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13/06/2019
Proposal To Add Folic Acid To Flour Consultation Underway
A formal consultation on a proposal to add folic acid to flour will begin today, 13 June, as part of a UK-wide initiative.
North Belfast DUP MP Nigel Dodds welcomed the start of the consultation, which will run for 12 weeks, closing on Monday 09 September 2019, and is open to all via Gov.uk.
Mr Dodds, who is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Folic Acid Fortification, has been a long-term support of the proposal.
Mr Dodds son, Andrew, was born with spina bifida and died in 1998, just before his ninth birthday.
The DUP MP said: "It is widely recognised that taking the B vitamin folic acid during pregnancy can help prevent certain brain and spine birth defects, known as neural tube defects.
"The most effective way of increasing intake across the population is through the fortification of flour with folic acid, which has been shown to have no side effects.
"Since folic acid fortification was introduced in the United State of America in 1998, it is estimated that around 1,300 babies are born each year without an NTD who might otherwise have been affected.
"As Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Folic Acid Fortification at Westminster, I warmly welcome that formal statutory consultation is now getting underway."
North Belfast DUP MP Nigel Dodds welcomed the start of the consultation, which will run for 12 weeks, closing on Monday 09 September 2019, and is open to all via Gov.uk.
Mr Dodds, who is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Folic Acid Fortification, has been a long-term support of the proposal.
Mr Dodds son, Andrew, was born with spina bifida and died in 1998, just before his ninth birthday.
The DUP MP said: "It is widely recognised that taking the B vitamin folic acid during pregnancy can help prevent certain brain and spine birth defects, known as neural tube defects.
"The most effective way of increasing intake across the population is through the fortification of flour with folic acid, which has been shown to have no side effects.
"Since folic acid fortification was introduced in the United State of America in 1998, it is estimated that around 1,300 babies are born each year without an NTD who might otherwise have been affected.
"As Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Folic Acid Fortification at Westminster, I warmly welcome that formal statutory consultation is now getting underway."
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