“Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the folic acid fortification of corn masa flour to help reduce the number of babies born with neural tube defects, also known as spina bifida.”.

• The move is intended to reduce the number of babies born with neural tube defects, also known as spina bifida
   
• This approval represents the greatest achievement in the history of Latin American food in the United States
   
• “We will be ready to offer foods fortified with folic acid by the end of Q216,” Juan A. González Moreno, Gruma President and CEO

Mexico City, April 17, 2016—In a move benefitting the Mexican and Hispanic populations residing in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the folic acid fortification of corn masa flour to help reduce the number of babies born with neural tube defects, also known as spina bifida.

This measure represents the greatest accomplishment in the history of Latin American food products in the United States, and was achieved thanks to the joint efforts of Gruma, the Spina Bifida Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Council of la Raza (NCLR), and March of Dimes that submitted a food additive petition in 2012 to secure the FDA’s approval.

Gruma played a significant role by actively participating with this coalition of organizations to petition the FDA to authorize manufacturers to voluntarily add folic acid as a nutritional additive to corn masa flour while also providing flour for stability studies and technical support on dosage proposals based on its cutting-edge technologies for the nixtamilized corn masa flour production process.

Gruma President and CEO, Juan González Moreno has expressly instructed the company to support and do its best efforts while providing the resources needed to offer products of the highest nutritional quality to consumers.

“This is a major decision by the FDA that will benefit the health of Mexican and Hispanic women and children living in the United States, who will see improvements in their diet through the consumption of fortified flour products. At Gruma, we will be ready to offer foods fortified with folic acid by the end of the second quarter of this year, once we implement all of the required technical changes at our plants,” said Juan González Moreno upon hearing of this important decision announced by the U.S. government authority.

In principle, Gruma plans to add folic acid to its 4.4 lb. (2 kg) pack of Maseca flour, which has the largest market penetration among the Mexican and Hispanic population north of the border. Consequently, tortillas and other food products prepared with this flour will also benefit from the addition of folic acid.

For more than two decades, Maseca flour sold in Mexico and other countries where Gruma does business has been fortified with folic acid, vitamins, and minerals, meaning that customers and consumers have access to food products with significant nutritional benefits.

Gruma USA currently has more than USD 2 billion in sales in the United States, which accounts for 50% of its global sales, and as such, the Mexican multinational consistently strives to promote its corporate social responsibility with actions that benefit customers and consumers alike.