Under such laws, manufacturers must actively anticipate and prevent defects in the products they produce and sell, warn consumers of dangers, and insure against the risk of injury to the public.

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Folic acid supplementation is already recommended to prevent neural tube defects, which are often severe malformations of the brain.

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Folic acid can help pregnant women prevent major birth defects.

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Mitsubishi Motors has been hit hard by revelations that the group and its truck division Mitsubishi Fuso had been hiding defects to prevent product recalls.

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The predecessor of the FSA, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy, recommended the addition of folic acid in 2000, saying it would prevent more than 70 children a year being born with defects.

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