A report from the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) has highlighted a number of barriers to increasing dietary fibre across retail, manufacturing and out-of-home sectors.
BNF urged for coordinated action across the food system to help tackle diet-related ill-health, after finding that only 4% of adults meet the daily fibre recommendations.
The report, titled ‘Dietary Fibre in 2026: An Update on Barriers & Opportunities to Fill the UK Fibre Gap’, aimed to highlight that taste preferences, cost concerns and lack of knowledge are the “biggest consumer barriers to increasing intakes”.
It emphasised that creating supportive food environments through product availability, placement, pricing, menu design and clear communication will be “critical” to shifting consumer behaviour at scale.
According to BNF, studies show that most people in the UK use the out-of-home sector regularly, with analysis by BNF of out-of-home offerings finding that nearly 70% of foods sold are low in fibre. However, BNF said that with 50% of consumers reportedly saying they would be more likely to buy products they already eat (such as bread, yogurt, cereal or a snack) if it had added fibre but tasted the same, reformulating everyday products offers a “clear route” to increase fibre intake without relying on behaviour change alone.
“Coordinated action with Government will be essential to improve understanding around fibre and to make higher-fibre options accessible.”
Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the British Nutrition Foundation, stated: “The UK’s fibre gap remains one of the most persistent nutritional challenges we face. Food manufacturers, retailers and the out-of-home sector all have a vital role to play – from reformulating everyday products to improving availability, visibility and choice. But industry cannot solve this alone.
“Coordinated action with Government will be essential to improve understanding around fibre and to make higher-fibre options accessible, affordable and appealing across the food environment.”
Action from industry could have the biggest impact across five areas, the report said. Accelerating reformulation of widely consumed staple foods, as well as collaborating with suppliers and promoting higher fibre choices, were listed as some of the ways action could be taken. The report also highlighted the importance of strengthening communication through using simple, consistent labelling and supporting fibre awareness campaigns across sectors.
For policy makers, the report highlighted a number of recommendations:
- Make the fibre content of products clearer for consumers by introducing mandatory fibre labelling on back of pack and considering inclusion of fibre on front-of-pack traffic light labels
- Enable better communication on fibre by asking relevant Government committees to review existing fibre health claims and develop clearer, more meaningful wording for consumers.
- Improve the evidence base by updating UK food composition data with consistent, up-to-date fibre values to support labelling and reformulation.
- Drive joined-up Government action by aligning policies across public health, procurement, agriculture, school food and marketing to prioritise higher fibre foods. Reinforce this with a comprehensive consumer engagement strategy to raise awareness of the importance of fibre and how to increase intakes.
