María Elvira Salazar: “Of great concern to me is that the scientific evidence indicates that the progress that has been made since the current…”

“Of great concern to me is that the scientific evidence indicates that the progress that has been made since the current fortification policy was adopted is distributed unevenly, and public health efforts have not been successful in reaching some of the population groups that are at highest risk of having a child affected by NTD birth defects. For example, research analyzing the government's 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data found that approximately 60 percent of non-Hispanic white women, and nearly 80 percent of Hispanic women and nearly 80 percent African American women consumed less than the recommended amount of folic acid daily. CDC research suggests that current fortification policy is a barrier to fortifying the types of food consumed by diverse groups and may help explain the disparate results that have been achieved in diverse U.S. populations. In view of the inadequacy of folic acid intake that persists among U.S. women who are most at risk of having a child affected by NTD birth defects, there is a need for further study to evaluate whether greater improvements in the nutritional status of women and the prevention of NTDs can be achieved through the expansion of food and beverage fortification with folic acid.”