Why does California require tortillas to have an extra ingredient? A new California law requires tortillas to include an additional ingredient. Here we explain why.

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Tortillas sold in California will have a new ingredient designed to provide nutrition to babies.

A new law will go into effect Jan. 1 that will require most tortillas and cornmeal products sold in the state to contain folic acid, a vitamin important to children’s health.

Latinos in California have much less likely than other women to get enough folic acid early in pregnancy, a difference that can lead to birth defects.

State data shows that between 2017 and 2019 (the most recent years available), approximately 28% of Hispanics reported folic acid intake one month before pregnancy. White women consume the vitamin most often, with 46 percent reporting consuming folic acid, according to the California Department of Public Health.

This increases the risk of Hispanics having a baby with neural tube defects, an embryonic structure that later becomes the brain and spinal cord. Some examples of neural tube problems are spina bifida Mr anencephaly.

Research shows that folic acid can reduces birth defects by up to 70% . That is why it is contained in prenatal vitamins. However, because women may not discover they are pregnant until weeks or months later, public health has long recommended that folic acid be added to staple foods as well.

In 1998, the United States required manufacturers to fortify certain grain products with folic acid, such as pasta, rice and cereal, to help women of reproductive age get the required amounts. Since this rule went into effect, the percentage of babies born with neural tube defects is reduced by approximately one third according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But even with the addition of these foods, birth defect rates among babies born to Hispanics are consistently higher. Seeking a more culture-friendly supplement, in 2016 the federal government allowed cornmeal producers to add folic acid to their feed, but did not require it.

Joaquin Arambula, a Fresno Democrat and author of the law, said the exclusion of folic acid from corn masher products used in many staple Latin American foods is a “real oversight.”

Now, with the application of Assembly Bill of 1830 California is the first state to require folic acid in cornmeal products. The law requires manufacturers operating in the state to add 0.7 milligrams of folic acid per pound of flour and to indicate this addition on their nutrition labels. The law provides exemptions for small-batch manufacturers, such as restaurants and markets, that might make their own tortillas.

Months after the California law was signed, Alabama approved its own version . This law will enter into force in June 2026.

Some major manufacturers have been adding folic acid to their products for years. Gruma, the parent company of Mission Foods, said it began fortifying its foods in 2016, when the federal government first allowed it. A company spokesperson said Gruma has a long-standing commitment to supporting legislative initiatives to strengthen and support new laws in California and Alabama.

Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at an affordable cost. Visit www.chcf.org for more information.