The report highlights UK adults are consuming around half the amount of fibre they need. The average adult eats 16.2g out of the 30g daily requirement. A quarter of consumers struggle to identify fibre-rich food sources.
There is a lack of awareness on the health benefits of fibre and 92% of consumers want support on increasing their fibre intake. The research outlines the key barriers to consuming enough fibre, and what to do about them.
Grace Ricotti, head of nutrition at M&S Food, said: “There is clear evidence linking fibre to improved health outcomes, which is why we’re sharing our research and insights about Britain’s Fibre Gap, and what to do about it. We support collaboration between Government and industry to prioritise fibre-rich products, effective communication around fibre and its public health benefits.
“Our report includes practical steps to drive fibre consumption including clearer labelling on pack, fibre-enrichment of products like bread and more flexibility for retailers to make fibre claims so that it’s easy for customers to see which products are high in fibre.”
M&S is calling for clearer and more consistent labelling on pack to support individuals to meet the 30g daily recommendation. It launched its brand-new nutrient dense range this month, with 20 products which all contain a source of fibre, or another key mineral or vitamin people in the UK are deficient in.
Elaine Hindal, chief executive of The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), added: “The low fibre intakes that we see in the UK population reflect poor dietary patterns with a lack of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, pulses and other plant foods.
“Evidence shows that low fibre diets increase the risk of diet-related disease including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer and so increasing fibre intakes is vital to improve population health. We welcome this new report, encouraging industry to take action to support consumers in bridging the fibre gap and making fibre-rich choices easier and more appealing.”