30/06/2026
Biodynamic Association
🍞 Who decides what gets added to our food?
From the end of 2026, most non-wholemeal wheat flour sold in the UK will be fortified with folic acid to help reduce neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
Public health experts estimate the policy could prevent around 200 affected pregnancies each year, particularly because many pregnancies are unplanned and women may not already be taking folic acid supplements.
But a new feature in Wicked Leeks asks an important question: while the public health benefits are widely recognised, what are the wider implications of adding a synthetic nutrient to a staple food consumed by almost everyone?
The article explores concerns raised by some practitioners about individual differences in folate metabolism, the balance between wholefood nutrition and fortification, and whether population-wide interventions should replace efforts to improve dietary quality.
At the Biodynamic Association, we believe this discussion raises fundamental questions about the future of our food system.
Should public health rely primarily on fortifying processed foods, or should we also invest in farming systems that produce naturally nutrient-dense food from healthy, living soils?
This isn't a simple debate, but it's an important one. We encourage everyone to read the article and consider the wider question:
Who should decide what is added to our food—and what kind of food system do we want to build?
👉️ Read the article in Wicked Leeks:
https://buff.ly/C0RrffX
