Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Minister for Food Safety): Today I was pleased to announce that New Zealand will move to the mandatory fortification with folic acid of non-organic bread-making wheat flour. This move is about protecting babies. Folic acid is safe and it is essential to the healthy development of babies early in pregnancy. Low folate levels in mothers cause neural tube defects that result in the deaths of babies in the womb, or cause life-long disability. New Zealand's rate of neural tube defects remains too high compared to other countries—such as Australia, United States, and Canada—that have already implemented mandatory fortification.