Eating your crusts is reputedly good for us - and it's even
better for pregnant women if the bread is fortified with folic
acid. Folate deficiency in pregnancy can lead fetuses to develop
neural tube defects such as spina bifida. This is a message the
UK government has yet to heed. So for the second time in five
years, a panel of specialists has told the government it must
add folic acid to the nation's flour. This is already done by 39
countries, including the US. In 2000, the government advisory
committee on nutrition recommended that all UK flour be
fortified with folate. Last year, ministers rejected the
proposal, saying that adding folic acid to bread might mask
vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly, which can cause fatal
neurological damage. But on 23 November, the UK Scientific
Advisory Committee on Nutrition repeated the call for flour to
be fortified, on ... To continue reading this article, subscribe
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