Make flour fortification voluntary
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to amend Food and Drug Regulations to make folic acid fortification of white flour, enriched pasta and cornmeal voluntary and to require front-of-package labels indicating fortified versus unfortified products.
Why we would sign this petition
- Gives consumers who carry MTHFR variants or who wish to avoid synthetic folic acid the ability to buy unfortified staple grain products and control their folic acid intake.
- Helps avoid masking of vitamin B12 deficiency signs in older adults, people on plant‑based diets, or those with absorption disorders by lowering unintended folic acid intake.
- Requires front‑of‑package labelling so shoppers can identify fortified versus unfortified products at the point of purchase and make informed choices.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Removing mandatory fortification would reduce population‑level folic acid exposure that aims to lower neural tube defect risk in pregnancies, potentially increasing adverse pregnancy outcomes.
- Making fortification voluntary could produce uneven availability of fortified or unfortified products, undermining consistent public‑health coverage and complicating messaging to those planning pregnancy.
- Producers may face costs and logistical challenges separating fortified and unfortified production, making unfortified options more costly or scarce despite labelling requirements.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled Since 1998, Health Canada has required synthetic folic acid to be added to all white flour, enriched pasta, and cornmeal, leaving Canadians no way to purchase these staples in an unfortified form; A significant share of Canadians carry MTHFR gene variants that reduce the body's ability to convert synthetic folic acid into its bioactive form, and elevated unmetabolised folic acid in circulation remains an active area of scientific investigation; High folate intake can mask the haematological signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, delaying diagnosis in older adults, people on plant-based diets, and those with absorption disorders; Most European Union countries, including Denmark after formal review, do not mandate folic acid fortification, instead relying on voluntary fortification and targeted supplementation for those planning pregnancy; and Canadians who wish to avoid synthetic folic acid have no reliable means to do so, and current labelling does not distinguish fortified from unfortified products at point of purchase. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to amend the Food and Drug Regulations to make the fortification of white flour, enriched pasta, cornmeal, and other regulated grain products voluntary rather than mandatory, and to require clear front-of-package labelling distinguishing fortified from unfortified products, enabling Canadians to make informed dietary choices.
Government response
No government response is available yet.