Governor Newsom Signs Assembly Bill 1830 Authored by Assemblymember Arambula; the Bill Will Require Folic Acid Fortification in Corn Masa Flour and Wet Corn Masa Products to Help Prevent Birth Defects

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today signed Assembly Bill 1830 authored by Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) as part of a package of bills focused on food issues.

AB 1830 specifically requires manufacturers to fortify corn masa flour and wet corn masa products with folic acid to help prevent birth defects. The legislation corrects an oversight in the federal 1998 mandate that required folic acid fortification in enriched cereal grain product but omitted corn masa and wet masa products.

Folic acid is essential to preventing birth defects, and food is the best way to get folic acid into women’s diets before they become pregnant. Data and research shows that this led to a disproportionate, higher risk of birth defects in the Latino community.

Assemblymember Arambula said: “I want to thank Governor Newsom for signing this important bill. AB 1830 addresses a health equity issue, and California is once again leading the nation in protecting mothers and infants from preterm birth defects. I’m grateful that this legislation will provide a culturally appropriate way to address disparities to help prevent birth defects across our state.

“We expect to see the rest of our nation pay attention and follow suit.”

Assemblymember Arambula also said he deeply appreciates the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists District IX and March of Dimes for being sponsors of AB 1830 as well as the variety of agencies and organizations who support the legislation.

Shilpa Mathew, MD, JD, ACOG California Co-Legislative Chair, said: "The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has proudly endorsed this legislation and is pleased to see it signed into law today. It is significant that this law aims to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects by ensuring that every pregnant person can benefit from folic acid supplementation. Neural tube defects can be devastating for families, but the good news is that we may be able to reduce the incidence, particularly within the Latino community, through food fortification. As an organization we remain committed to improving patient health and advancing equity and we applaud the leadership of Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula for prioritizing policies that look to reduce health disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes.”

Dr. Amanda Williams, Chief Medical Officer at March of Dimes, said: “The final adoption of this legislation is a significant step forward in improving infant health outcomes through a culturally responsive lens, and March of Dimes is glad to have joined with Dr. Arambula and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to sponsor this legislation. By requiring corn masa products to be fortified with folic acid, we can help protect more of our nations’ babies from developing neural tube defects. We applaud the legislature for its bipartisan support of this culturally responsive bill and the Governor for his endorsement. March of Dimes will continue to advocate for this crucial reform across the nation and hope to see other states adopt this in the near future."

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