Food and drink manufacturers reportedly delivered the portions of fibre through FDF’s Action on Fibre campaign.
It was said to be the result of “significant investment” made by food and drink brands to update recipes and launch new products that give people’s diets a fibre boost. Members of the Action on Fibre campaign launched 100 new products and higher fibre recipes to the grocery market in 2025, adding 130 million portions of fibre.
FDF’s data found that only 4% of adults were currently achieving the Government’s recommended 30g of fibre. Consumer research also showed that only 7% of adults were aware of this recommendation.
The Federation highlighted that a diet high in fibre provided a range of important potential health benefits, from improved digestive health to reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. Alongside adding fibre to products, food manufacturers are also working to raise consumer awareness of its health benefits.
Action on Fibre’s retail partners, Lidl and Aldi, have both pointed people towards higher fibre choices. Aldi has further pledged to share recipe inspiration and practical meal ideas to help customers easily incorporate more high-fibre products into their daily diets. Lidl has nearly doubled sales of whole grains by incentivising shoppers with monthly discounts of up to 30%.
FDF is calling on Government to support industry’s work to increase awareness of the importance of fibre for the UK’s health and the foods that provide fibre to UK diets. This includes through positive and practical public health messaging, amplified by industry, “championing the healthy choices” people can make to support their wellbeing.
“We believe that introducing mandatory reporting on healthier food sales would help to incentivise businesses to go further and build momentum on developing higher fibre choices.”
It also urged Government to rethink proposed changes to the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), which it said would see many nutrient-rich and high fibre products become subject to advertising and promotion restrictions, potentially reducing opportunities to help people to get more fibre in their diets. FDF said that introducing mandatory reporting of healthier food sales across the food system would incentivise businesses to develop more healthier, higher fibre products.
Kate Halliwell, chief scientific officer at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), stated: “Fibre is a powerhouse in terms of its potential health benefits and it’s brilliant to see the range and scale of change that food and drink manufacturers have made. Companies have upped the fibre content of many well-loved products and developed new options that make it easier for people to reap the benefits of a higher-fibre diet.
“Imposing advertising and promotion restrictions on many of these healthier choices seems counter-intuitive and risks them disappearing from shelves. This would be a backwards step when the majority of us are still not eating the recommended 30g a day.
“We urge Government to work with industry to understand what would drive further progress. We believe that introducing mandatory reporting on healthier food sales would help to incentivise businesses to go further and build momentum on developing higher fibre choices.”
