A report from bakery company Hovis has revealed that UK adults are failing to consume enough fibre and are confused about how much they should be eating, despite high-profile campaigns to get people to boost their fibre intake.

The report found that 89% of UK adults say they recognise that eating fibre each day is important, with just 2% saying it doesn’t matter to them. The research also revealed that 79% correctly identify that fibre helps digestive health, with more than a third (38%) also recognising that it can help to maintain normal blood cholesterol levels.

Despite this, just 38% of UK adults say they ensure their diet is high in fibre, regardless of the wealth of scientific evidence pointing to the health benefits that fibre brings, however, when asked how much fibre they consumed each day, one-in-four UK adults (24%) said they didn’t know.

The research also identified confusion about how much fibre we need, with half of those surveyed saying they don’t know how much fibre the average adult should eat each day, and just 14% correctly identifying that the daily target is 30g.

When asked to highlight the food types that are best for delivering fibre, the majority of UK adults could correctly identify those that are a good source. The best-known food type is bread, with four fifths of UK adults (81%) thinking that wholemeal bread is a good source of fibre.

Jeremy Gibson, marketing director at Hovis, said: “There have been numerous studies that have shown the benefits of eating more fibre, yet people are still failing to eat enough of it. The rise of lower carb diets and reduction of bread consumption are another signal that consumers could be avoiding bread and missing out on the amazing fibre benefits they bring.

“It’s not difficult to boost fibre intake, anyone can do it by eating more wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, brown rice and fruits and vegetables. Consuming enough fibre can help with digestive health, as well as maintaining normal cholesterol levels and it can taste great too.”