Folic acid in UK flour from 13 December 2026: what's changing

Updated 24 October 2026. Every claim links to its official source.

What the new UK flour rules require from 13 December 2026, what they don't cover, and how to tell from the label.

Key points

• From 13 December 2026, non-wholemeal common wheat flour milled in or imported into the UK must contain 0.250 mg folic acid per 100 g (SI 2024/1162; GOV.UK).
• It applies to flour from common wheat (Triticum aestivum) only (GOV.UK).
• GOV.UK said it expected "some products to contain flour fortified with folic acid from autumn 2025" (GOV.UK: Folic acid).
• Stock "lawfully placed on the market or labelled before 13th December 2026" can be sold "until exhausted" (SI 2024/1162, explanatory note).

Other nutrient levels change too

Per 100 g of common wheat flour (GOV.UK, tables 1 and 2):

• Iron: at least 1.65 mg now, at least 2.10 mg from 13 December 2026.
• Niacin: at least 1.60 mg now, at least 2.40 mg.
• Thiamin: 0.24 mg, no change.
• Calcium carbonate: 235 to 390 mg now, 300 to 455 mg.
• Folic acid: none required now, 0.250 mg.

What is not covered

• Wholemeal flour: see is wholemeal flour fortified? (reg. 4).
• Small mills, in the UK or abroad: a maximum annual capacity of 500 metric tonnes and under 500 tonnes produced in each of the last 3 calendar years (GOV.UK). There is no public register of exempt mills.
• Flour made for communion wafers, matzos, gluten or starch (GOV.UK).
• Other grains such as spelt, plus gluten-free and soya flours (GOV.UK: Folic acid).
• Imported products made of several ingredients including flour (GOV.UK).
• Unfortified non-wholemeal common wheat flour can be brought into Northern Ireland from EU or EEA countries (GOV.UK).
• The consultation proposed exempting flour used as a minor ingredient; the governments "agreed not to proceed" with that (government response).

How to tell from the label

• Added vitamins and minerals must be in the ingredients list, including when fortified flour is used as an ingredient, for example "Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Niacin, Iron, Folic Acid, Thiamin)" (GOV.UK: Folic acid).
• Older stock and newer stock may sit side by side for a while, so read each pack rather than relying on the brand.
• Bread contains folic acid only if it is made with fortified flour; check the loaf's ingredients.

Each UK nation has its own rules, same date

• England: The Bread and Flour (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2024.
• Scotland: SSI 2024/387.
• Wales: The Bread and Flour (Wales) Regulations 2025, with the folic acid requirement applying from 13 December 2026.
• Northern Ireland: SR 2024/196, with the new schedule in operation from 13 December 2026.
• Enforcement is by improvement notices in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and compliance notices in Scotland (GOV.UK).

Why the government is doing this

The government says the change will help prevent around 200 neural tube defects a year (GOV.UK, 14 Nov 2024).

Small mills in our directory

Check each listing's "Evidence" for the wording and scope. More in where to buy unfortified flour and the bakeries & mills directory.

This page explains the regulations. It is not medical advice. The UK government recommends folic acid fortification to reduce neural tube defects (GOV.UK). If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, speak to a health professional about folic acid. See our disclaimer.