Folic Acid & Flour: What Bakers Need to Know

You may have noticed something new appearing on flour bags recently, namely folic acid. Although it won’t become a legal requirement until December 2026, many UK millers have already begun including it, so bakers are starting to see “folic acid” listed among the fortification ingredients.

If you’re wondering why it’s being added and whether it will change the way your dough behaves, read on.

 

Why is folic acid being added to flour?

Folic acid fortification is a public-health measure aimed at reducing neural tube defects in early pregnancy. Because flour is a staple ingredient eaten across the population, adding a small, carefully controlled amount of folic acid helps ensure that most people get enough in their daily diet without having to think about it.

It follows similar fortification steps the UK has used for decades (iron, calcium, thiamin, niacin) and brings us in line with many countries that already add folic acid as standard.

Which flours are affected?

The new requirement applies to non-wholemeal wheat flour. This includes:

  • white bread flours

  • brown flours

  • most general-purpose and cake flours

  • specialist blends based on non-wholemeal wheat flour

The law does not apply to wholemeal flour and it does not apply to flours made from other grains (such as rye, spelt, buckwheat, einkorn, corn, or gluten-free blends), unless the miller chooses to add it voluntarily.

If you bake with wholemeal flour only, you won’t see any changes in the ingredient list.

 

Will folic acid change how the flour performs?

Short answer: no - you won’t notice any difference in baking performance.

Folic acid is included at a very small level (250 micrograms per 100g flour) and does not affect:

  • gluten development

  • dough strength or elasticity

  • fermentation behaviour

  • water absorption

  • colour or flavour

  • shelf life

From a baker’s point of view, the flour will look, feel, behave and taste exactly the same as before. If a dough feels different, it will be due to normal batch-to-batch variation, milling style, or changes in wheat crop conditions - not the folic acid.

The only real difference is the ingredient list, which now includes folic acid alongside the existing mandatory fortification elements.

 

What should bakers do?

There’s no need to adjust hydration, proofing, mixing times, or recipes. Simply carry on baking as usual. The change is nutritional, not functional, so it won’t alter your results.

If you use flour from several millers, you may see folic acid appearing at different times as each mill transitions. All non-wholemeal wheat flours should include it by the December 2026 deadline, but many are already ahead of schedule.

 

Can I opt out?

We have a few millers that do not fortify their flour and you can find an list of all our unfortified flours here.

 

Can I learn more?

We have another article explaining fortification here called So what is flour fortification in the UK? 

 

Does wheatgerm contain folic acid?

Wheatgerm contains folate, which is the natural form of vitamin B9 (it also contains 5 other B vitamins along with vitamin E, minerals and healthy fats)

Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B9 that is made in a laboratory and added to foods as a fortifier.

Flours that still contain their wheatgerm can be found by choosing wholemeal or stoneground on our website.

 

 

In summary.

  • Folic acid fortification is a public-health requirement coming into force in 2026.

  • It applies to non-wholemeal wheat flour only.

  • It does not change dough behaviour, flavour, or baking outcomes.

  • Millers are rolling it out early, so labels are beginning to change now.

 

Flour Ingredients List