Availability of Folic Acid Fortified Corn Masa Products in Selected Areas in the United States.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the availability of folic acid fortified corn masa (CM) products across selected areas/regions in the United States for neural tube defects (NTD) prevention 8 years after voluntary fortification of CM products was permitted.

METHODS

Geographic selection using US census data included areas with majority Hispanic census tracts in California (CA), Georgia, and Texas (TX). A largely rural county in CA, an urban county in TX, and the metropolitan Atlanta area were selected as study sites. Stores selling groceries and snacks in the selected areas were visited and surveyed for CM products. A mobile application was used to record product data, including product identifiers (e.g., brand name, product type) and folic acid information (e.g., presence and amount of folic acid, folic acid graphical design element). Analyses were performed using R studio.

RESULTS

In the 111 stores surveyed, products identified included 50 distinct retail CM flour bags, 178 distinct corn tortilla products, 88 distinct tostada products, and 223 other distinct CM products. Fifty percent of distinct CM flour bags (25/50) were fortified with folic acid. Additionally, 1% (2/178) of tortillas and about 3% (3/88) of tostadas were fortified. No other fortified products were identified.

CONCLUSION

Almost a decade after voluntary folic acid fortification of CM flour was allowed, very few ready-made CM products assessed in this study were fortified. As states work to initiate changes to increase the availability of fortified products, continued assessment can help monitor the availability of fortified products for NTD prevention.