Why folic acid is being added to the bread sold in our bakeries

There have been calls to completely abandon the practice, with a petition gaining more than 50,000 signatures.

The petition stated that those with B12 deficiency and certain cancers should avoid folic acid, describing it as “unethical to mass medicate the entire population”.

Dr Blackburn said she understood that people liked “to have control over what goes into their bodies” but she said she believed the benefits outweighed the risks.

“Essentially there is no evidence that having extra folic acid in flour is going to cause any ill health in anyone,” she said.

Other countries such as Canada and the US have been putting folic acid into flour for years and have seen a drop in birth defects.

The DHSC said the new regulations would help provide women with a higher baseline intake of folic acid thus “better protecting their babies in all scenarios”.

A spokesperson for the government department said: “Our number one priority is the health of children.

“Scientists have carefully worked out the right amount [of folic acid] to add, so it’s both effective and safe.”

They added that the decision was based on “longstanding, independent, expert advice” and followed “extensive” public consultation.