The US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has approved folic acid fortification of corn masa flour. Manufacturers can now elect to add up to 0.7mg of folic acid per pound of corn masa flour.

Corn masa flour is a staple food for the Latin American community and is used to make tortillas, tamales and taco shells.

“Increased consumption of folic acid in enriched flour has been helpful in reducing the incidence of neural tube defects in the general population,” said Susan Mayne, Director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “Our analysis shows that adding folic acid to corn masa flour will help increase the consumption of folic acid by women who consume this flour as a staple in their diet.”