Fibre, once a largely understated nutrient hidden away on the back of packaging, has shifted to the front of consumers’ minds in recent months, in no small part thanks to ‘fibremaxxing’, a social media trend that pushes the importance of fibre while encouraging people to “maximise” the amount they consume, with some even taking their consumption to extreme levels. Once treated as a practical digestive health nutrient, it is now increasingly visible in wellness conversations, across product types, as well as social content. 

For food brands, that creates a timely opportunity. But our research suggests there is a clear gap between consumer interest in fibre and consumers’ ability to act on that interest with the right knowledge and confidence. 

Fibre is becoming mainstream 

More than two-thirds of consumers in our study said fibre is important to their diet, and while UK guidance recommends adults consume 30g of fibre per day, most people fall short of that target, with The British Nutrition Foundation reporting that only around 4% of UK adults meet the recommendation, while the NHS notes that many adults average around 20g a day. 

So, the issue is not whether fibre is important. Consumers increasingly understand that it is. The bigger question is whether they know what “enough” looks like, where to find it, and how to choose products that genuinely help. 

Only 5% of respondents correctly identified 30g as the recommended daily fibre intake. Even when allowing answers within 5g either side, just 10% were correct or close. This is a problem, as without a clear benchmark, consumers have no easy way to judge whether their current choices are moving them in the right direction. 

The knowledge gap is holding action back 

This knowledge gap also plays out differently by age. Younger consumers are highly engaged: almost two-thirds of 25 – 34-year-olds have actively tried to increase their fibre consumption over the past year, and most feel confident that they’re consuming enough. But what do they consider to be enough? 
 
On average, 25–34-year-olds believe the recommended daily fibre intake is 42.6g, around 40% higher than the official recommendation of 30g. While the fibremaxxing trend has pushed fibre into the mainstream, it has created a level of enthusiasm that could be doing more harm than good. The challenge is no longer convincing this cohort that fibre is important, but in how they can be directed to approach fibre in a safer, more mindful way. 

Older consumers, meanwhile, are most likely to see fibre as important, but less likely to have tried to increase their intake, feel less confident they are consuming enough, and underestimate how much they should be consuming by around 10g. While fibremaxxing has encouraged and pushed younger consumers to up their fibre intake, older consumers may be getting left behind and need to be empowered to approach fibre consumption practically and confidently. 

Fibre’s image is still too narrow and outdated 

Consumers tend to associate fibre with digestion and gut health first. Those benefits are important, but they are not the full story. Authoritative nutrition sources link higher fibre intake with broader long-term health benefits, including heart health, blood sugar management and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. Only around a third of people in our study could identify blood sugar management and cholesterol reduction as a benefit of fibre, compared to over half who did so for digestion and gut health. 

There is also an outdated image around which foods “count” as high fibre. Traditional wholemeal and carbohydrate cues still dominate consumer perceptions, with most identifying brown bread, bran cereal, oats, and brown rice as being high-in-fibre, while plant-based options such as lentils, beans and raspberries are less consistently recognised. At the same time, some younger consumers appear to give foods such as rice cakes, fruit juice and Greek yoghurt a high fibre “health halo”, despite these not necessarily being meaningful fibre sources. 

Brands in the high fibre category are poised to meet various health needs consumers might have, but risk being overlooked if these are not properly communicated.  Meanwhile, products with a less traditional fibre image might not even be in the conversation. 

Packaging can do more than simply shout “high fibre” 

In our study, 63% of people said it is important that high-fibre foods are labelled as such on packaging. But the comments point to a need for more specific, useful information: not just whether a product contains fibre, but how much it contributes to the daily recommendation. 

That suggests a role for clearer front-of-pack cues, such as fibre grams per serving or simple daily-target framing. UK food businesses must follow nutrition and health-claim rules when making claims, and “source of fibre” and “high fibre” claims have defined compositional thresholds. But within those rules, there is room for brands to make fibre easier to understand. 

Insight for food brands: make fibre feel practical, not worthy 

Fibre is now a front-of-mind nutrient. The next step for brands is to break down the knowledge barriers that prevent or misdirect action by helping people make more informed, smarter choices. That means communicating clearly and building confidence. 

• Be specific: show grams of fibre per serving on the front of packaging and help consumers connect products to the 30g daily target. 

• Broaden the benefit story: go beyond digestion and gut health where claims and product evidence allow. 

• Challenge old cues: help consumers recognise fibre in a wider range of products, like pulses, beans, and fruit. 

• Meet consumers where they are: build fibre into familiar formats and everyday occasions, rather than relying on consumers to overhaul their diets. 

For brands, the winning move is to make fibre easier to understand, easier to choose and ultimately easier to enjoy. 

To get a full copy of the research report, please email paularscott@brandignite.co.uk or click here