How Much Folate Is in Canadian Fortified Products 10 Years after Mandated Fortification?

Objective: In 1998, the Canadian government mandated folic acid fortification of white flour and enriched grain products to lower the prevalence of neural tube defects. There is now growing concern over the potential harmful effects of too much folic acid on some segments of the population. Given th...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of public health 2009-07, Vol.100 (4), p.281-284
Main Authors: Shakur, Yaseer A., Rogenstein, Carly, Hartman-Craven, Brenda, Tarasuk, Valerie, O'Connor, Deborah L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Brands
Breastfeeding & lactation
Canada - epidemiology
Colorectal cancer
Folic acid
Folic Acid - adverse effects
Folic Acid - analysis
Folic Acid - therapeutic use
Food
Food Analysis
Food industry
Food labeling
Food products
Food security
Food supply
Food Supply - statistics & numerical data
Food, Fortified - adverse effects
Food, Fortified - analysis
Forts
Health aspects
History
Humans
Interpretation and construction
Laws, regulations and rules
Marketing research
Measurement
Medical sciences
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Methods
Miscellaneous
Neural Tube Defects - epidemiology
Neural Tube Defects - prevention & control
Nutrients
Nutrition
Nutrition Surveys
Nutritive Value
Pasta
Political aspects
Prevalence
Public Health
Public health law
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Public policy
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
Ready to eat foods
Time Factors
Vitamin B
Vitamin B Complex - adverse effects
Vitamin B Complex - therapeutic use
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective: In 1998, the Canadian government mandated folic acid fortification of white flour and enriched grain products to lower the prevalence of neural tube defects. There is now growing concern over the potential harmful effects of too much folic acid on some segments of the population. Given that the actual amount of folate in Canadian foods is unknown, the objective of this study was to measure the folate content in selected fortified foods. Methods: Using data from the 2001 Food Expenditure Survey and the ACNielsen Company, 95 of the most commonly purchased folic acid-fortified foods in Canada were identified. Folate concentrations in these foods were determined using tri-enzyme digestion followed by microbiological assay. Analyzed values were compared to those in the Canadian Nutrient File (2007b, CNF) and to label values. Results: The analyzed folate content of foods was, on average, 151% ± 63 of the CNF values. Analyzed values as a percent of CNF values ranged from 116% in the "rolls and buns" category to 188% in "ready-to-eat cereals". Analyzed values were higher than label values for "breads", "rolls and buns" and "ready-to-eat cereals" (141%, 118% and 237%, respectively [p
ISSN:0008-4263
1920-7476
DOI:10.1007/BF03403947