On January 17, 2024, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) website announced that the UK government has agreed to amend the Bread and Flour Regulations, published in 1998, following a public consultation, and that legislative changes will be made in 2024. The main changes to the regulations include:

(1) Mandatory nutritional fortification applies to flour made from common wheat, but excludes small-scale milling (less than 500 metric tons per year) and as a minor ingredient in the final product (less than 10% of the final product);

(2) Increase the minimum content of calcium carbonate, iron, and niacin in non-whole wheat flour to 15 percent of the nutritional reference value per 100 g of flour, with changes in content per 100 g of flour being an increase in iron from 1.65 mg to 2.1 mg, in niacin from 1.6 mg to 2.4 mg, and in calcium carbonate from 235-390 mg by 300 to 390 mg;

(3) Mandatory addition of 250μg of folic acid per 100g of non-whole wheat flour;

(4) Establishing a 24-month transition period before mandating the new requirements to allow the industry to adapt to the premix changes and make subsequent labeling changes.