(NewsNation) — Tortillas in California will soon be required to have a new ingredient as the state looks to help parents nurture their babies.
The law, which will go into effect Jan. 1, requires manufacturers to include folic acid in their tortilla and corn masa products.
Folic acid is considered critical before and early on in pregnancy due to its ability to prevent birth defects of an infant’s spine and brain.
Data from the California Department of Public Health between 2017 and 2019 shows that approximately 28% of Latinas reported ingesting the vitamin before becoming pregnant compared to 46% of white women.
Research published in 2023 in the National Library of Medicine shows folic acid can reduce birth defects by as much as 70%.
In 1998, the United States required manufacturers to add folic acids to pasta, rice and cereals — but did not make such mandates for tortillas.
California’s new law is the first of its kind at the state level in the U.S. Alabama recently passed the same law, which will go into effect in June.