California Assembly Bill 1830 (Health and Safety Code § 110531), effective Jan. 1, 2026, requires folic acid in corn masa flour at 0.7 mg per pound when that flour is manufactured, sold, or used as an ingredient. Wet corn masa products — the fresh masa from traditional nixtamalization used in many corn tortillas — may contain 0.4 mg per pound; fortification for that path is voluntary.
For wet-masa tortillas, the practical compliance step is labeling: include a clear manufacturing-process declaration such as “Manufactured through a wet corn masa manufacturing process” or “Wet corn masa product,” close to the statutory language. Placement should be clear and conspicuous (often near ingredients). Simply saying “nixtamalized corn” in the ingredient list may not be enough on its own.
Plants that make tortillas from dry corn masa flour (masa harina) must source fortified flour, keep supplier certificates of analysis, list folic acid in ingredients, and show Folate on the Nutrition Facts panel per federal rules. Blending wet masa with masa flour generally triggers the flour-as-ingredient fortification requirement — so treat blends as mandatory unless counsel or CDPH says otherwise.
Snack-food and certain small-operation exemptions exist in the statute; most commercial tortilla manufacturers should not assume they qualify. Enforceability sits with the California Department of Public Health Food and Drug Branch.
For a step-by-step labeling walkthrough aimed at wet-masa makers, see Food Lab’s Dec. 22, 2025 guide (linked as the original). Cross-check the CDPH AB 1830 FAQ and the bill text on leginfo before changing art: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DFDCS/Pages/FDBPrograms/FoodSafetyProgram/AB1830FAQ.aspx and https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1830. This brief is not legal advice.
Tortilla Industry Association