Bread and flour regulations amended to help protect health of babies in England

10 December 2025 | Sharon Morey, Regulatory Affairs Manager

The long awaited amendments to the 1998 Bread and Flour Regulations were finally introduced back in late 2024 and now apply in England, Scotland and Wales. As well as including some minor technical amendments the new amending legislation will require millers and flour producers in the UK to fortify non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid from the end of 2026.

The majority of millers in the UK have made this change during 2025 which means the ingredient lists for UK milled flour or for products containing UK flour must be changed to reflect this at the earliest opportunity.

The rationale behind the change

Folic acid deficiency is one of the leading causes of neural tube defects (NTDs), which can cause serious and debilitating conditions to babies in the womb, including spina bifida. The Department of Health and Social Care predict that around 200 cases of brain and spine defects in babies will be prevented every year as well as significant cost savings to healthcare needs by fortifying non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid ¹.

The history of flour fortification

This new requirement is the latest development in the saga of flour fortification in the UK, which began by adding nutrients to wheat flour back in 1941 during the Second World War, to address nutritional deficiencies caused by food rationing and shortages.

The original nutrient added to non-wholemeal flour was calcium with the aim of helping to prevent rickets. Over the years, iron, niacin, and thiamine were also added to the list of mandatory nutrients in flour to further improve public health outcomes. The existing 1998 regulations are only the latest version of the UK’s flour fortification legislation since their introduction in the 1940s, which dictate that non-wholemeal wheat flour milled in the UK must be fortified with calcium, niacin, thiamine and iron. The expansion of this list to include folic acid has been actively debated for more than 30 years.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published an opinion back in 2006, which recommended folic acid fortification. In addition, the NHS echoes the advice of the UK’s Chief Medical Officer that women who are trying for a baby take a 400mcg folic acid supplement for around 3 months before getting pregnant and for at least 12 weeks after becoming pregnant ².

This recommendation will continue after the new amendment to the Bread and Flour Regulations are in force to help provide women with a higher baseline intake of folic acid, primarily in unplanned pregnancies, to help offer better protection to babies in all scenarios.

An international story

Whilst the UK has a long history of flour fortification it is somewhat late to the party in terms of the addition of folic acid. A significant number of countries already require fortification of this and or other nutrients, mainly iron, calcium and some B vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. This includes Australia, New Zealand and Canada, but according to the Food Fortification Initiative there may be more than 80 countries globally who mandate the addition of folic acid to reduce the incidence of NTDs ³.

Practical implementation and labelling changes

The technical changes and updated enforcement provisions that have been made are now mostly in effect. The folic acid addition provision will come fully into force on 13 December 2026 however this applies to the compositional change being made only, there is no transition period for amending product labels.

Food labelling requirements in the UK and EU fall under the remit of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (FIC). This Regulation requires that all ingredients in a product are listed on the label in descending order of the weight of each ingredient allowing consumers to make an informed decision based on accurate information when choosing the foods they will consume. Once the new flour with the added folic acid is in use, action is necessary to amend the labelling and packaging of all non-wholemeal flour sold, as well as finished products where the flour is used as an ingredient to reflect the addition of folic acid.

To minimise the risk of either under or over declaring the presence of folic acid on a finished product label, it will be necessary for Food Business Operators (FBOs) to plan this latest change into a label update schedule. As UK flour suppliers have chosen to implement the changes before the end of the transition period, some food businesses may find it challenging to source new labels and packaging in time to action the changes and FBOs affected by this change should discuss their plans to amend labelling with their local authorities as soon as possible.

This is particularly important for products intended for the Northern Irish or EU markets and in October 2025 the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) issued guidance explaining that in cases where FBOs cannot source updated labels to coincide with the change the European Commission has agreed to an exceptional short term labelling flexibility in the interest of consumer protection including the use of over stickers. This is a temporary measure only and it is expected that food businesses revert to normal labelling practices as soon as possible and again to discuss plans with inspectors in Ireland before making use of this temporary flexibility measure.

The flour itself is declared as a compound ingredient in an ingredient list with the added nutrients listed out after the wheat flour, for example “Wheat flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Niacin, Iron, Folic Acid, Thiamin).

Incorporating the change into other labelling updates where possible is recommended. Guidance from Regulators for both industry and Enforcement officers is available in the UK from Defra and the FSA.

If you have any questions or require further information on the requirements of the Bread and Flour (Amendment) Regulations 2024 contact the Regulatory Affairs team at regulatoryadvice@campdenbri.co.uk

Bread and Flour Regulations changes at a glance

The new amended Bread and Flour Regulations apply in England, Scotland and Wales.

Mandatory addition of folic acid in non-wholemeal flour produced in the UK from December 2026. Note: There is no transition period for labelling changes which are required as soon as the flour with added folic acid is received into the supply chain.

• Technical amendments to ensure consistency with other food standards legislation including increasing minimum levels of nutrients needed by Assimilated EU Regulation No 1925/2006 and updating the specification criteria for calcium carbonate to match Assimilated EU Regulation 231/2012. (13 December 2024).
• An update to the compositional rules of wholemeal flour, to ensure improved compliance while maintaining consumer protection. (13 December 2024).
• An exemption from the fortification requirements for small-scale millers (producing less than 500 metric tonnes of flour per year) to remove any disproportionate burden on smaller-scale producers without compromising the public health outcomes of the policy. (13 December 2024).
• Introducing the ability for Enforcement Officers to use Improvement Notices as a more proportionate and efficient way to address non-compliance thereby reducing costs associated if criminal proceedings are brought. (13 December 2024).

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References

1. Birth defects prevented by fortifying flour with folic acid
2. NHS vitamins and supplements during pregnancy
3. Food Fortification Initiative Global Progress