Tortillas sold in California will soon change forever in hopes that a new ingredient will boost infant health.<\/p>\n
Beginning New Year\u2019s Day, most tortillas and corn masa products sold in the state will be required to contain folic acid, a vitamin that\u2019s vital to baby health.<\/p>\n
In 1998, the US required manufacturers to fortify some grain products with folic acid, like pasta, rice and cereals. Adriana \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
But critics warn it could forever affect the taste of the state\u2019s tacos. Even though the required dose is tiny, folic acid doesn\u2019t taste great.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano put it to the test last year<\/a> \u2014 and the results weren\u2019t pretty. In a blind taste test between a regular tortilla and one loaded with the B vitamin, he and tortilla factory owners could immediately spot the difference.<\/p>\n State data shows that Latina women in California are far less likely than non-Latina women to get enough of the vitamin early in pregnancy. Lack of folic acid can lead to life-altering birth defects.<\/p>\n California is the first state to require the B vitamin in corn masa products. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<\/p>\n Between 2017 and 2019, data showed about 28 percent of Latinas<\/a> reported taking folic acid the month before becoming pregnant, while white women checked in at 46 percent, according to the California Department of Public Health.<\/p>\n Moving forward, folic acid will be added to tortillas so as to help reduce life-altering birth defects. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<\/p>\n A lack of folic acid puts women at higher risk of giving birth to babies with such birth defects as spina bifida and anencephaly, which impact the brain and spinal cord.<\/p>\n Research shows folic acid can reduce these birth defects by up to 70 percent<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tNeed West Coast news? The California Post is coming soon.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet in early. Sign up for our weekly newsletter before our 2026 launch.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n In 1998, the US required manufacturers to fortify some grain products with folic acid \u2014 like pasta, rice and cereals \u2014 to help women get the necessary amounts of the vitamin. Since then, the rate of babies born with neural tube defects dropped by about one third, according to the CDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mission Foods started fortifying its foods with folic acid in 2016.<\/p>\n