• Folic Acid Fortification

  As of September 13 2009 all wheat flour (used for making bread) in Australia will be required to contain no less than 2 mg/kg and no more than 3 mg/kg of folic acid.
  
  Food regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), is introducing mandatory folic acid fortification of wheat flour (used for making bread) to increase the folic acid intake of women planning to or who may become pregnant – to help protect the developing foetus against neural tube defects (NTDs), such as spina bifida.
  
  This means all bread in Australia that is made from, or contains wheat flour (across supermarkets and bakeries) will contain folic acid. Click here for a list of folic acid levels in all GWF bakery products.

• Iodine Fortification

  As of 27 September 2009 (New Zealand) and 9 October 2009 (Australia), iodised salt will be required to be used in bread making.
  
  Mandatory iodine fortification aims to address the re-emergence of iodine deficiency in Australia and New Zealand, especially in children, and will see all salt used in bread-making in both countries replaced with iodised salt.
  
  This means all bread in Australia and New Zealand (across supermarkets and bakeries) will contain iodine. Click here for a list of iodised salt levels in all GWF bakery products.

• Mandatory fortification

  Mandatory fortification is where food manufacturers are required to add a certain vitamin or mineral to a specified food or foods. Fortifying food with vitamins and minerals is not uncommon, for example manufacturers must already add vitamin D to margarine and thiamine to wheat flour.

• Voluntary fortification

  Voluntary fortification allows food manufacturers to choose what vitamins and minerals they want to add to food, providing they are permitted in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. For example, GWF’s Burgen Soy and Linseed bread has been fortified with folic acid for many years voluntarily. These products are specifically developed to target consumer needs while still allowing choice.

Folate is a B group vitamin we all need for healthy growth and development and is naturally occurring in foods, such as green leafy vegetables. Folic acid is the form used in supplements and is more readily absorbed than naturally occurring folate.

Both folate and folic acid are especially important for the healthy development of babies in early pregnancy.

Iodine is a mineral we all need and helps the thyroid produce thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism.

Iodine is especially important for growth and development in young children, in particular the normal development of the brain and nervous system – especially during pregnancy, and in the first 2-3 years of life.

The folic acid fortification Standard applies to all bread made from, or containing wheat flour in Australia and the iodine fortification Standard applies to all bread in Australia and New Zealand. Both Standards apply to supermarket bread and bakery bread.

Manufacturers of organic bread, bread made from other cereal grains such as rice, corn and rye (provided they do not contain any wheat flour), and bread mixes for baking at home are not required to add folic acid or iodine. However, these products may contain folic acid and iodine – check the ingredient listing on pack for more information or contact the manufacturer directly.

GWF is currently rolling out packaging updates across all its products, to ensure the addition of folic acid and iodine is reflected. These ingredients will be included in the ingredient listing on pack and will appear as follows:

• Folic Acid: will be listed as ‘Vitamin Folate’ in the ingredient list

• Iodine will be listed as 'Iodised Salt' in the ingredient list

Detailed information is provided in our Frequently Asked Questions section on this website. You can also contact a GWF Consumer Information Advisor on 1800 645 515 for detailed product information