THE start of a formal consultation on the proposal to add folic acid to flour has been welcomed by DUP MP Nigel Dodds.
The consultation, which began yesterday, will be conducted on a UK-wide basis and will be available on the Gov.uk website under the “Consultations” section.
It will run for 12 weeks.
Medical experts say the change will reduce the number of babies born in the UK with serious birth defects.
Mr Dodds, who is co-chair of the all-party Parliamentary Group on Folic Acid Fortification, said he had been told of the development in a letter from Westminster.
The North Belfast MP has been a long-term supporter of the proposal which is part of a campaign close to his heart.
The son of Mr Dodds and his wife, DUP MEP Diane Dodds, was born with spina bifida. Andrew Dodds died in 1998 just before his ninth birthday.
Mr Dodds said: “It is widely recognised that taking the B vitamin folic acid during pregnancy can help prevent certain brain and spine birth defects, known as neural tube defects.
“The most effective way of increasing intake across the population is through the fortification of flour with folic acid, which has been shown to have no side effects.
“Since folic acid fortification was introduced in the United State of America in 1998, it is estimated that around 1,300 babies are born each year without an NTD who might otherwise have been affected.
“As co-chair of the all-party Parliamentary Group on Folic Acid Fortification at Westminster, I warmly welcome that formal statutory consultation is now getting underway.”
