The fibre phenomenon in summary:
- Fibre demand is surging globally
- Gut health drives purchase decisions
- TikTok accelerates fibre awareness
- Bakery and snacks see clear upside
- Science backs fibre-led reformulation
Scientist and best-selling author Tim Spector has highlighted increased fibre intake as a key way to reduce bowel cancer risk, writing recently in The Telegraph.
“Across studies in every country, people who eat lots of fibre have a lower bowel cancer risk,” he explained.
“For every 10g of fibre you eat, you can reduce your risk by around 10 per cent. The average UK intake is around 15g of fibre daily, and over 30g is recommended.”
Advances in microbiome research, along with growing scrutiny of ultra-processed foods, have seen gut health seep into consumer consciousness. And fibre, with it, is moving from a niche nutritional concern to a mainstream priority. People are starting to look for easy ways to up their fibre intake for its gut benefits, such as satiety, sustained energy and digestive health.
But the need to increase fibre consumption in (mainly) western populations isn’t a new thought. Many nutritionists, academics and even consumers with a base understanding of dietary needs would argue similarly.
A recent study of 5,000 US consumers by the Grain Foods Foundation (GFF) found fibre now ranks alongside protein, taste and overall eating experience as a key purchase consideration. A Danone study also found that nearly seven in 10 consumers are trying to increase fibre intake.
Social media trends like “fibremaxxing” and GutTok are adding further impetus. As a result, fibre has, finally, become sexy and is no longer the forgotten nutrient.
“Grain foods, including wholegrains, are well positioned here, naturally delivering fibre as part of a broader package of nutrients and functionality,” said GFF executive director Erin Ball, adding that the increased awareness creates clear opportunity for continued education around how grain foods deliver fibre and fit into balanced, everyday eating patterns.
“Rather than one nutrient defining the category, consumers are making more practical, benefit-driven choices based on what foods provide.”
Closing the fibre gap
For many sectors, but particularly bakery and snacks, there’s a clear commercial opening. Quick off the block in January 2026, the UK’s largest bakery brand Warburtons launched a Fibre Fix range for consumers seeking to boost their daily fibre intake, claiming 43% of Brits were not confident they were eating enough fibre.
Their 500g sliced wholemeal loaf, chock-full of brown linseed, red lentil, chia seed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, malted barley flour, sesame seed, hemp seed and millet seed, delivers 30g of fibre. Much higher, said Warburton, than the average loaf.
High fibre claims vary dependent on country, but in Britain, for example, foods must contain at least 6g of fibre per 100g to be labelled as such.
Back-of-pack to front-of-mind
Fibre is now being more clearly communicated across the board. Once confined to nutritional tables, it now gets front-of-pack treatment.
Consumers are increasingly comfortable with terms like ‘gut health’ and ‘microbiome’, and brands are seeing the benefits in propositions that translate science into simple, benefit-led messaging such as ‘high in fibre’ and ‘supports digestive health’.
GFF is working to shift the dial to bring greater clarity to the positive benefits of grain foods and nutrients like fibre in a healthy diet. That includes supporting nutrition research conducted by leading experts.
A meta analysis of nearly 1.9 million participants conducted by members of GFF’s Scientific Advisory Board, recently found that a higher intake rate of wholegrain bread is linked to lower colorectal cancer risk and overall cancer mortality, and that overall bread consumption is not associated with increased cancer risk.
“Grain blends”, said Ball, “are one way the category can respond to consumers’ evolving expectations around nutrition, variety and taste by providing a full range of health benefits from wholegrain’s fibre to enriched and fortified refined grains.”
By increasing fibre content, improving communication and leaning into the science, bakery brands can move from being seen by some as part of the problem to a central part of the solution.