House Bill 139 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Danny CrawfordRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Food enrichment; corn masa folic acid requirements, corn masa flour added, exempt products revised

Summary

HB139 would require folic acid fortification for corn masa flour and corn masa products, revise exemptions, and update code language, effective October 1, 2026.

What This Bill Does

Adds corn masa flour to the list of foods that must be enriched with folic acid. It sets minimum folic acid levels: at least 0.7 milligrams per pound for corn masa flour and at least 0.4 milligrams per pound for corn masa products, with an accepted industry deviation. It revises exemptions to include cottage food operations, grocery stores offering conforming products, and snack foods, but not items primarily made from corn masa flour (like tortillas) or bulk-packaged ingredients used as a main meal component. It also makes nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update the code language to current style.

Who It Affects

• Manufacturers and retailers of corn masa flour and corn masa products would need to ensure their products meet the folic acid minimums and adjust formulations as needed.
• Cottage food operations, grocery stores offering conforming products, and snack-food producers are exempt from the enrichment requirements (though tortillas and other bulk-packaged, meal-ingredient items would not be exempt).

Key Provisions

• Corn masa flour added to enrichment requirements for folic acid.
• Minimum folic acid content set at 0.7 milligrams per pound for corn masa flour and 0.4 milligrams per pound for corn masa products (with industry standard deviation allowed).
• Exemption framework revised to cover cottage food operations, conforming grocery-store products, and snack foods; tortillas and bulk-packaged main-ingredient items are not exempt.
• Nonsubstantive, technical updates to code language; effective date is October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 11, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Health