Government Gets It Right With Folic Acid

Health Freedom NZ - Media Release

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Government Gets It Right With Folic Acid

The Health Freedom NZ Trust thank the Government for its responsible leadership in calling a halt to the folic acid fortification of bread until further investigation. As a consumer advocacy group, the Trust confirms the Government’s assertion that the majority of New Zealanders do not want this to go ahead.

HFNZ Trust’s policy is that Mass Medication is unethical and breaches civil liberties. It also breaches the Human Rights Act which states we have a right to refuse medical treatment. If folic acid is being put into bread to prevent NTD’s then it is being used as a medicine according to our Medicines Act. Good pharmacological practice dictates the right dose to the right person at the right time. “When we stray from that principle we end up with more problems than we set out to solve” Spokeswomen for HFNZ, Nicola Grace says. “In this instance young women, the target market, are not big consumers of bread”.

Health Freedom point out that Coeliac’s disease, an intolerance to certain proteins found in grains like wheat, barley and rye, is on the rise. Sufferers of the disease, mainly women, cannot eat bread or wheat products without suffering severe symptoms. A thirty year study was undertaken in Canterbury** that revealed Coeliac’s disease on the rise and the over all female to male ratio of the disease was 2:1. However, in women between 30-39 the ratio jumps to 3.3:1.  Women with diabetes have to keep their carbohydrate levels down to avoid insulin spiking. Women fighting obesity and weight gain are not big consumers of bread.  Women with Crohn’s disease steer clear of gluten.

“Medicating our bread and then telling women to eat lots of bread is not the right message to be sending. Neither is it good public health policy. We are disappointed some medical professionals are recommending synthetic fortification of bread rather than a diet of fresh fruit, green veges, whole grains (if they can be tolerated) and adequate supplementation.” says Ms Grace.
 
“Mass medication is not effective and causes more problems than it was set out to solve. The Government are right to halt the scheme and not support mass medication. Let us support instead good pharmacological practice and deliver the right dose to the right person at the right time” says Ms Grace.

Health Freedom propose that since women who eat bread still have to supplement with folic acid, a far better solution is to educate all New Zealanders on what constitutes a well balanced healthy diet, the need for supplementation and making it easier for all New Zealanders to have access to both.

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