I've long been suspicious of ingredients/chemicals added to industrially produced foods, or chemicals sprayed on to crops etc. This is just the latest, which I wasn't aware of until today.
It is now compulsory for flour manufacturers producing more than a given amount of flour a year to add Folic Acid to their products. The reason given is that it protects unborn babies from neural tube development problems (eg spina bifida). However, I also read that Folic Acid can interfere with some chemotherapy treatments and isn't recommended for certain cancer patients. Opinions seem to be divided about whether, or if, this vitamin might interact with certain chemo drugs, and if so, how much is "safe".
I was shocked to discover that folic acid is added to white bread flour, even if it is marketed as "organic". However, it's not added to wholemeal flour, organic or not.
I imagine (hope!) the quantities added to white flour are too small to be of significance, but I was concerned that this additive has been slipped into our food quietly without most people's knowledge. I'm probably neurotic!!
It is now compulsory for flour manufacturers producing more than a given amount of flour a year to add Folic Acid to their products. The reason given is that it protects unborn babies from neural tube development problems (eg spina bifida). However, I also read that Folic Acid can interfere with some chemotherapy treatments and isn't recommended for certain cancer patients. Opinions seem to be divided about whether, or if, this vitamin might interact with certain chemo drugs, and if so, how much is "safe".
I was shocked to discover that folic acid is added to white bread flour, even if it is marketed as "organic". However, it's not added to wholemeal flour, organic or not.
I imagine (hope!) the quantities added to white flour are too small to be of significance, but I was concerned that this additive has been slipped into our food quietly without most people's knowledge. I'm probably neurotic!!
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