California – Starting January 1, 2026, every bag of corn masa flour and almost every packaged tortilla sold from San Diego to Sacramento will be getting a mandatory dose of folic acid—by law. Lawmakers say they’re slicing into a major public health problem that’s been stubbornly impervious to previous efforts: neural tube defects among newborns, which tragically impact Latino families far more often.
For years, experts watched birth defect numbers among Latino infants remain sky-high despite fortifying foods like bread and cereal. Now, with Assembly Bill 1830 officially signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 28, 2024, the state is targeting the heart of Latino cuisine: the beloved tortilla. Big manufacturers must pack corn masa flour with 0.7 milligrams of folic acid for every pound—while wet masa gets 0.4 milligrams per pound. The idea? Give pregnant women a massive folic acid boost in the foods they eat most and slash those devastating birth defects like spina bifida and anencephaly that haunt too many families.
And here’s the kicker: small local spots and mom-and-pop restaurants whipping up their own tortillas from scratch are off the hook. But for the big players, the clock is ticking. Miss the new rules, and face penalties!…