Grain Foods Foundation Bows Folic Acid Seal with March of Dimes

RIDGWAY, Colo. -- To promote increased consumption of folic acid-rich foods among women of childbearing age, the March of Dimes and the Grain Foods Foundation have created a new Folic Acid for a Healthy Pregnancy Seal that will be featured on products at retail.

The seal will help women quickly and easily identify grain products, such as white bread, that are enriched with folic acid. Members of the Grain Foods Foundation will be the first to use the seal on products.

Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. will be using point-of-sale materials in the bread and baby products aisle to reinforce the messages at retail, the foundation said.

The seal will be unveiled officially on Jan. 9, 2008 in conjunction with Folic Acid Awareness Week and in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of folic acid fortification to enriched flour. Since the FDA issued the mandate in 1998, neural tube defects (NTDs), including spina bifida, have declined by 26 percent, according to the foundation.

However, according to a survey conducted by SRBI and commissioned by the Grain Foods Foundation, two-thirds of women believe that whole wheat and multi-grain breads contain the most folic acid. Only 12 percent of women perceive enriched white bread as having high levels of folic acid, despite the fact that it has twice as much folic acid as whole grain or whole wheat bread.
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