Bread and flour will be fortified with an essential vitamin in a bid to prevent serious birth defects in hundreds of babies every year, the Government has announced.

The new legislation will require millers to add folic acid to non-wholemeal wheat flour from the end of 2026.

Folic acid is a synthetic form of vitamin B9 and is also known as folate. It helps the body produce healthy red blood cells and new cells.

A deficiency of the vitamin during pregnancy can increase the risk of serious problems for babies, known as neural tube defects.

Belfast antenatal care
It is recommended that women trying for a baby take folic acid for three months before and up to three months after they become pregnant (Yui Mok/PA)

The neural tube is a structure that forms the brain and spinal cord of a developing baby from around day 21 of pregnancy to day 28.

The most common neural tube defects are spina bifida, when the spine does not develop properly, and anencephaly, when a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull.

It is recommended that women trying for a baby should take folic acid supplements for about three months before getting pregnant and for at least three months after falling pregnant.

However, fortifying bread and flour will give women a higher baseline intake of folic acid if pregnancy is unplanned.

The move could prevent about 200 cases of neural tube defects every year, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), as well as saving the NHS £20 million over 10 years.

Public health minister Andrew Gwynne said: “These measures are a simple and effective intervention to improve health outcomes in babies, giving them the best start in life.”

In the UK, flour is already fortified with calcium carbonate, iron, nicotinic acid or nicotinamide, and thiamine, also known as vitamin B1.

England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty welcomed the plans to add folic acid.

He said: “The fortification of flour is a simple and effective way to help to reduce cases of neural tube defects, although it is important that women who are pregnant or intending to become pregnant continue to take folic acid supplements before and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.”

Baroness Merron, minister for patient safety, women’s health and mental health, said the move should “give women greater peace of mind throughout their pregnancy”.

She added: “This Government is determined to support women and turn around maternity outcomes so every child can live a long, happy and fulfilling life.”

Kate Steele, the chief executive of Shine, the charity that provides support for people whose lives have been affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus, said: “After more than 30 years of campaigning, Shine can finally celebrate the introduction of this very important public health initiative.

“It will improve the health of the general population across the UK but, more importantly, mandatory fortification will reduce the number of babies affected by spina bifida, a lifelong, complex disability.

“It also means that fewer families will be given the devastating news that their baby has anencephaly and will not survive.”