A joint petition proposing that the food additive regulations be amended to provide for the safe use of folic acid in corn masa flour has been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration by Gruma Corp., the Spina Bifida Association, the March of Dimes Foundation, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Royal DSM N.V. and the National Council of La Raza.

According to new data from Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD), out of more than 20,000 food and beverage products launched in the U.S. in 2011, ‘no high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)’ claims only accounted for about 400 new product introductions, or 2%. Some of the most frequent health-focused, on-package new product claims were ‘Low/No/Reduced Fat’ and ‘Low/No/Reduced Calories,’ which were used two to four times as often as ‘no HFCS.’

Last week, the American Bakers Association (ABA) urged the U.S. Senate to vote in favor of an amendment to the Agriculture Food, Farm and Jobs Act, or the Senate Farm Bill, reforming the current U.S. sugar program.