A new symbol on foods will alert consumers that products have been fortified with folic acid. Each month, an average of seven babies are born in Ireland with Spina Bifida or other neural tube defects associated with a deficiency of folic acid, according to the Food Safety Promotion Board.
With just 2 per cent of women aged between 18 and 35 achieving their daily intake of folic acid, Dr Geraldine Quinn, nutritionist with the food safety board, said women must improve their efforts to include folates in their diet. The symbol is navy and white with the letter F in the centre.
