If passed, a bill proposed by state Rep. Joaquin Arambula could require corn masa flour manufacturers to add new ingredients to some products sold in California.
The Fresno Democratic Party has proposed Assembly Bill 1830, which would require folic acid to be added to commonly consumed foods made with corn masa flour, such as chips, tortillas, tamales and pupusas.
Folic acid is an important ingredient for women of reproductive age, and state-released public health data shows that requiring folic acid in some common foods could potentially increase the risk of ingesting folic acid early in pregnancy. It will particularly benefit low-income Latinas, Arambula said. .
Arambula, who is also an emergency room physician, said the required amount would be 0.7 milligrams of folic acid per pound of masa. Corn masa flour manufacturers are expected to make the changes by January 1, 2026. The bill states that nutritional labels must list folic acid content in accordance with applicable federal law.
What is folic acid?
Folic acid is a synthetic form of folic acid and is essential for the formation of DNA and RNA. Essentially, folic acid is a B vitamin that is needed to create new cells.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that women of reproductive age, whether pregnant or not, supplement their intake of folate-rich foods such as spinach, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, avocados, and broccoli. He said he recommends taking 400 micrograms daily. Dr. Joel Mason, Director of the Vitamins and Carcinogenesis Team at the Gene Mayer USDA Center for Aging and Human Nutrition Research at Tufts University.
“Folic acid is a synonym for vitamin B9,” Mason previously told USA TODAY. “Folic acid works specifically with vitamins B2, B6, and B12 to perform some of its health functions.”
According to the CDC, taking folate and folic acid during pregnancy can help prevent certain birth defects such as anencephaly and spina bifida.
What the corn masa flour bill seeks to accomplish
In 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandated the inclusion of folic acid in fortified grain products such as cereal, bread, pasta, and rice. As a result, the predicted number of babies born with neural tube defects has decreased by 35%, according to the CDC. That means approximately 1,300 fewer babies are born each year.
“Food is the best way for our community to get folic acid before getting pregnant,” Arambula told CalMatters. “Prenatal vitamins given to pregnant women are often given too late.”
Serious birth defects usually occur very early in pregnancy, before the fourth week of pregnancy. A baby’s brain and spine begin to form before most women realize they are pregnant.
The FDA has been working to fortify foods with folic acid, but excluded corn masa flour from the 1998 mandate. After some backlash, the addition of folic acid to corn masa flour was reviewed in 2016 after the CDC showed that neural tube defects in some Hispanic American populations were not decreasing in the same way as in the general population. Acknowledged.
According to the FDA, manufacturers can voluntarily add up to 0.7 milligrams of folic acid per pound of corn masa flour if they wish.
Arambula said this was a “real oversight” and that after FDA review, only 10% of corn masa flour products in the U.S. contain folic acid.
“Fortification of corn masa flour products may increase folic acid intake in Mexican Americans by nearly 20 percent,” the CDC said in a 2009 study. This population, which relies heavily on corn flour, “may be at a 30 to 40 percent increased risk for severe brain and spinal cord birth defects,” the CDC said.
What is the timing of California’s new proposal?
A spokesperson for Arambula’s office told SFGATE that the bill will be submitted to Congress in May.
Contributor: Darryl Austin
