Workshop on Fortification of Flour with Folic Acid
9.15: Introduction
Pierre Mertens, President, International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, Brussels, Belgium
Mr. Mertens will stress the importance of folic acid in the prevention of NTD’s and explains the position of IF in the field of flour fortification.
9.30: Presentation “The effect of Folic Acid and the Importance of Fortification”
Dr Joe Mulinare, Chief, Prevention Research & Health Communications Team, US Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA
What is folic acid, what does it do and does it really work? Why is it important to fortify?
10.30: Coffee break
11.00: Presentation “Model of Good Practice in the UK (&/or Ireland)”
Andrew Russell, Director, Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAH), Peterborough, UK
12.00: Lunch
13.00: Update “What happens in Europe at this moment”
Hilde De Keyser, Policy officer Prevention, International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, Brussels, Belgium
A panel with an interactive session with Q&A with the speakers of the morning session
14.00: How can we make Flour Fortification happen at national level?
Presentation of the existing lobby-tools and documents by Hilde De Keyser. Part of this will be the presentation of the FFI-website.
15:00: Where do we go from here?
Based on the information received in the previous sessions and the results of the individual questionnaires, country-groups should develop a plan of action to promote Mandatory Flour Fortification in their own country. Each plan will be written on a large sheet of paper and put up on the walls for others to review
15.45 Wrap-up session
Each country team points out what action they will take immediately upon returning home
16.00: Closure
16.00 to 18.00: Registration to the General Meeting of the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus
17.00: Liaison Office Meeting
18.00: IF General Meeting
19.30: Welcoming Porto
