Substantial improvement in availability of corn tortillas containing folic acid, CSPI analysis finds

A report published today by the Center for Science in the Public Interest finds that corn tortillas fortified with folic acid are more available in U.S. stores than they were three years ago, with some newly-fortified products introduced by major national corn tortilla brands like Gruma’s Mission and Guerrero brands and Walmart’s Great Value brand. The shift is expected to reduce the rate of certain spinal birth defects, particularly for Latine consumers, who experience higher rates of these conditions and have lower intakes of folic acid.

Since 2016, food companies have been encouraged by the Food and Drug Administration to fortify corn masa flour-based products with folic acid as a safe and effective way to increase population folate intake and prevent debilitating birth defects like spina bifida and anencephaly. A report published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest in 2023 found that some companies had begun fortifying bags of corn masa flour, but none had fortified ready-to-eat corn tortillas. CSPI and other public health advocates have called on food companies to fortify corn masa products as a simple and effective measure to support infant health.

Corn masa products have been leveraged for fortification efforts because they are staples in many Latine Americans’ diets, and the Latine population faces elevated rates of neural tube birth defects relative to other U.S. racial and ethnic groups. The FDA estimates that corn masa fortification has the potential to increase daily folic acid intake among Mexican American women by 21 percent, but previous studies show this impact has not yet been realized due to low uptake of voluntary corn masa fortification by U.S. manufacturers.

The new market analysis published today looked at the ingredients of 33 corn tortilla products from 24 unique companies available in 2025. Seven products from four brands (Mission, Guerrero, Great Value, and La Fiesta) contained folic acid in 2025. A search of company websites in 2026 found that an additional brand (La Banderita) appears to also now offer fortified corn tortillas.

Following the 2023 CSPI report, CSPI contacted Gruma, the largest U.S. corn tortilla manufacturer and urged the company to fortify, leading to a commitment by the company to begin fortifying its core corn tortilla brands by 2024. This report shows that Gruma not only followed through on its commitment but also seems to have paved the way for additional companies to offer fortified corn masa products, a move that will support the health of babies across the country.

In 2024, the federal government ramped up efforts to encourage voluntary corn masa fortification, including by hosting a roundtable for industry, launching a technical assistance initiative for manufacturers, and updating the list of foods that can be purchased through the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to include tortillas made with folic acid-fortified corn masa flour. California and Alabama have also moved to help infants in their states by passing laws mandating folic acid fortification of corn masa products sold within their borders.

Unfortunately, an uptick in online misinformation about the safety and benefits of folic acid for people with certain common MTHFR genetic mutations threatens to undermine recent progress. These claims are unfounded, yet genetic testing services and dietary supplement companies are capitalizing on this misinformation to sell unnecessary, expensive, and potentially harmful products as alternative sources of folate. The alleged risks associated with folic acid have even been elevated by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. In late 2025, Kennedy publicly denounced California’s corn masa fortification law and elevated the false claim that folic acid poses a risk to people with certain genetics.

“Secretary Kennedy called California’s fortification law ‘insanity,’ but what’s truly insane is that our nation’s top health official is spreading false claims and frightening people into avoiding a nutrient that’s proven to prevent birth defects and save babies’ lives,” said CSPI senior policy scientist Eva Greenthal. “Kennedy should be championing folic acid fortification as an evidence-based public health intervention grounded in gold-standard science.”

CSPI is calling on companies and the FDA to continue efforts to promote infant health by expanding corn masa fortification to additional products.

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