Consultation on amending bread and flour regulations

A UK-wide consultation has been launched seeking views on proposals to change the 1998 Bread and Flour Regulations that deal with the labelling and composition of bread and flour

The regulations require milled white and brown non-wholemeal wheat flour that is manufactured and sold in the UK to be fortified with added calcium, iron, thiamin and niacin to protect against nutrient deficiencies within the UK population.

The consultation seeks views on proposals to make adjustments to the nutrients currently added to non-wholemeal wheat flour, and the addition of folic acid, with the aim of improving public health outcomes for the UK population.

The addition of folic acid to help reduce the incidence of foetal neural tube defects follows a previous consultation and an agreement by the UK government and devolved administrations to proceed with its mandatory fortification.

Have your say

This consultation is expected to be of interest to:

• millers
• businesses manufacturing, exporting, importing and selling flour or flour products
• enforcement authorities
• consumers and consumer groups
• health professionals
• public bodies

Find out more about the consultation on bread and flour regulations.

The consultation is being led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in collaboration with the Department for Health and Social Care, Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Responses will be used to help refine proposals and inform policy decisions on how the UK government and devolved administrations proceed with any subsequent legislative changes.

First published 6 September 2022