King Arthur Flour and Enricnment
I noticed that some King Arthur flours (such as AP and Bread flour) are no longer enriched. By "enriched" I mean the addition of thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid and iron. I was under the impression that the FDA required flours such as these to be enriched. However, I found that was not the case. I asked KA why they no longer enriched these flours. Here's their reply:
Thank you for your inquiry into why we stopped enriching our flour!
This practice of white flour enrichment began in the 1940s, during wartime, when food was being rationed and nutrients were scarce. The goal was to add back nutrients lost in processing, including iron and B vitamins. In 1943, the War Foods Administration issued an order which made enriched bread the temporary law of the land.
Much has changed since that time. White flour is no longer relied upon for B vitamins and iron, given changes in eating habits and the availability of nutrients in other foods and supplements.
With a mission that’s always centered on providing the purest, highest quality flour, we decided to remove the enrichments, allowing our Signature white flours to contain only the ingredients that contribute directly to their superior bakeability.
Other millers, such as Bob's Red Mill and General Mills, still enrich their flour.