Folate intake by women of child-bearing age: the impact of fortification

Abstract

<p>In 1994-95, 50 to 75 percent of men and 75 to 90 percent of women, depending on age, had usual intakes of folate below their folate requirement (Institute of Medicine, 1998). In 1998, folate fortification of enriched breads, breakfast cereals, pasta, rice, and flour became mandatory. This policy was established by the Food and Drug Administration to increase folate intake among women of child-bearing age and thereby to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects in newborns.</p>