Just wondering?

Am I the only person in Oz, of the 16 million or so who eat bread every single day of their lives, who is upset that on Wednesday our government will rubber-stamp an amendment to our food standards (that they instigated and have been planning for over 4 years now) that means no-one will be able to buy a loaf that has not been forced to contain around 2 mg (dfe*) of synthetic folic acid?

Folic Acid is a B group vitamin (when found in nature) and is a source of folate which helps cells grow. It is found in many vegetables, fruits, nuts and in the livers of animals. It has almost uniformly been added to our morning cerals (the 'healthier' ones) so that anyone in the US who eats a bowl of Special K gets more than 150% of the recommended daily dose of Folate!)

Synthetic Folic Acid is more 'refined' than the natural sources and means that half the quantity provides a person with as much folate as twice the quantity of the natural form we should all be eating in cheap foods.

I want to have the choice of deciding to buy drugged or non-drugged bread for my toast and sarnie's. Anyone else peeved that Little Johnny and Tony Abbott is taking that choice away from us by stealth?

Has anyone even heard of this plan before now?

Since the publication of randomised trials showing firm evidence of prevention of neural tube defects with periconceptional folic acid, there have been population health promotion programmes to encourage women to take folic acid supplements, and the introduction of voluntary fortification of some foods with folic acid in Australia. In order to evaluate these two strategies, we collected data by self-administered questionnaire from a random sample of recently pregnant women in Western Australia between September 1997 and March 2000. Response to health promotion was measured in three ways: (1) knowledge of the association between periconceptional folate and prevention of spina bifida (the 'correct message'); (2) use of periconceptional vitamin supplements of folic acid daily in the periconceptional period; and (3) daily folate intake from fortified foods in the 6 months before pregnancy. We examined the relationship of maternal demographic and behavioural characteristics with these three measures. Overall, 62.3% of women were aware of the correct message before pregnancy, 28.5% reported taking 200 microg or more of folic acid from supplements daily in the periconceptional period and 56.6% of women obtained 100 microg or more of folic acid from fortified foods. Women who first became aware of the correct message during pregnancy or who were unaware of the correct message before or during pregnancy were more likely than women aware before pregnancy to be younger, having their first pregnancy, be single or in a de facto relationship, have no tertiary education, and be a public patient. .

Women who were unaware of the correct message and did not take folic acid supplements were more likely to have smoked, not to have engaged in exercise, and not to have planned their pregnancy, whereas there was no association with these behavioural characteristics and intake of folate from fortified foods. These results indicate that health promotion strategies have not reached all segments of the target population.

So why not run a health campaign (maybe instead of wasting money on the T3 sale).

Same result but safe bread for me and pernicious anemia sufferers.

BrainDrain,

Yes, more people care than you might think, but there is a limit to the number of fights that can be fought at any one time. I must admit to having been utterly unaware of this proposal, and consequently have no knowledge of its implications beyond those claimed by those promoting it. I note from his previous post Steve Madden is potentially adversly affected. I wonder what effects this might have on the numerous other people with other blood disorders? Mass (unadvised) medication of millions of persons to achieve effective preventive medical intervention in just 26 cases? Would I be correct in guessing that many times 26 persons with pernicious anaemia might be adversely affected?

To be fair to John Howard, and even to Tony Abbott, this is probably driven by interests of which they may have been at best merely dimly aware, interests that may be deliberately cloaking their real agenda. I can only speculate that it is in some way connected with reducing the number of times that medico-ethical issues relevant to actual cases in which termination of pregnancy could legitimately be considered as an option must be confronted. (I could simplify this sentence, but it means exactly what it says.) In whose interest the avoidance of that confrontation may be I leave to the judgement of the reader. People like Steve, and for all I know, myself, are certainly hostage to the decision that looks like it has already been taken.

Do you know whether breadmixes for home bakers ovens are subject to this adulteration? If they are not, changing over to a breadmaker may be an avoidance method for people in Steve's position. Should you do so, could I recommend the Laucke premixes, not just because they are produced by the last remaining Australian-owned flour millers producing these products, but because they are the best. (The poster has no connection with Laucke and has received no remuneration in connection with this endorsement-this announcement appears as a matter of record and because the bread made with their mix is damn good.)

Forrest you make some good points.

I have to admit my opposition is purely driven by self interest, but the criteria is “Health Ministers have agreed that vitamins and minerals can be added to food where there is evidence of potential health benefit, and fortification will not result in harm. “

There is evidence of harm.

It appears to me that the problem is that a certain proportion of women are unaware that they should be taking folate supplements if they are considering pregnancy.

Spina bifida is horrible and it can be removed from our society but how many women who give birth to children with spina bifida have a defect in folate absorbtion?

I can find no studies in peer reviewed journals to suggest anyone has ever looked.

Thanks for the bread tip. I will try it. :)

Thanks Steve and Forrest, after the discussion with Wayne Smith on a nuclear future it is refreshing to see there is still intelligent life on this planet (and forum ; )

Sadly it is not in strong evidence at FSANZ, as evidenced in the response i got from the General Manager, M Fisher.

After reading a 58 page report from Access Economics which purported to show a nett $1.65 billion dollar benefit following the first 15 years of introduction of this bill (does that explain why John and Tony approve?) I had serious issues with the data they were claiming as 'savings', as well as the figures for lives saved and pregnacies terminated and wrote to FSANZ detailing them.

I got a virtually 'generic' reply explaining that i had raised 'broad issues' when in fact i had numerous highly specific, detailed questions - not one of which were addressed - and was given a very brief 'explanation' of double counting in accountancy proceedures to justify the fact that they did not include the cost of some $100 million dollars resulting from the costs manufacturers passed on to end consumers (most of which gets paid to supermarket chains) because it arises from some $1 million annual ongoing cost to actually put the stuff into the bread at the right rate, which was included in their cost benefit analysis, and they can't count the same cost twice! (the $1 mill).

I have been researching this matter (folic acid in bread) in detail since July (when a second round of public comment was called for - anyone ever hear the call??) That was your last 'official' chance to have any say. It ended July 31. (cont.)

THE US has banned Vegemite, even to the point of searching Aussies for jars of the spread as they enter the country.

The bizarre condiment crackdown was prompted because Vegemite has been deemed illegal under US food laws.

The great Aussie icon -- faithfully carried around the world by travellers from Down Under -- contains folate, which under a technicality, the US allows only to be added to breads and cereals.

Australian expatriates in the US said enforcement of the ban had been gradually stepped up and was now ruining lifelong Vegemite on toast breakfast traditions.

Former Geelong man Daniel Fogarty, who now lives in Calgary, said he was stunned when searched for Vegemite while crossing the US border on a trip to Montana recently.

"The border guard searched our car and asked us if we were carrying any Vegemite," Mr Fogarty said.

"I was flabbergasted.

"The official said Vegemite wasn't permitted in the US."

Now this is weird, who makes the money by producing folic acid supplements and why are they producting their market so vigourously?