A FOOD-INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE ON FOLIC-ACID FORTIFICATION

The U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) has recommended that all women of childbearing years, capable of becoming pregnant, consume 400 mu g fo lic acid/d to reduce their risk of having a neural tube defect (NTD)-a ffected pregnancy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration subsequently proposed a folate fortification scheme for cereal grains, which also a llowed the continued fortification of breakfast cereals at 0.1 mg per serving. To determine the contribution of ready-to-eat breakfast cerea ls (RTEC) to folate intakes in women of childbearing years, data were analyzed from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 1989-1991 Continuin g Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and 1987-1988 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey. Women consuming RTEC have higher intakes of folate than women reporting no RTEC consumption. Recent reports indicate tha t most women are unaware of the PHS recommendation to consume more fol ate, and many health professionals are not advising women of the need to consume adequate folate during the childbearing years. The food ind ustry has been an effective communicator of health and nutrition messa ges and should be encouraged to raise awareness about the role of fola te in NTDs. Better analysis also needs to be conducted to identify wom en at risk of low folate intakes, so that targeted educational efforts can be made and appropriate vehicles identified for delivering folate to these women.