California Leads Folic Acid Fortification in Corn Masa

0:0015 years after losing her baby boy to a neural tube defect just 10 days after birth, Andrea Lopez, from Bakersfield, finds hope in new changes for Latina moms. In January, California led the way as the first state to mandate folic acid and corn masa flower, the key ingredient in tortillas and other staples for Hispanic families. This targets the high rates of these devastating birth defects like Spina Bifida that hit Latino infants hardest. For almost 30 years, the U.S. has fortified wheat products like bread and cereal with folic acid, but corn masa got left out. As a result, Hispanic women face the nation's highest rates of these defects, twice as high as wider black moms in California alone. That gap kept the pain going for families like Lopez's. Lopez, now a 44-year-old lawyer with two young daughters, calls it a small step with huge payoff to spare others her heartbreak. Lawmakers like Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula pushed the bill, saying California's big

1:01market can spark nationwide change. Public health folks agree it's proven safe and cheap to prevent these tragedies. Now the momentum's building fast. Alabama kicks off a similar law in June, with bills pending in Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Oregon. Texas, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are showing strong interest too. Major players like Grumma and Mission Foods have ramped up, fortifying nearly all their U.S. corn products this year. Industry leaders say concerns over taste and costs are fading, and smaller makers will follow. With science backing it and states jumping in, more fortified masa means fewer heartbroken families down the line. You've been listening to Vancouver News today, AI-powered local news.