Fortification of selected foodstuffs with folic acid in the UK: consumer research carried out to inform policy recommendations.

Background: The UK Food Standards Agency Board identified four options to increase folate intake in women of reproductive age in order to reduce the risk of neural tube defect (NTD) affected pregnancies; these ranged from continuing with current policy, to mandatory fortification of bread or flour with folic acid. In order to appraise these options, the agency carried out a consultation, and also commissioned four pieces of research. This paper provides detailed information about two of the research studies, which used qualitative research approaches to gather consumer evidence.