Only 4% of UK adults hit their fibre target — and the industry sees an opportunity

Only 4% of UK adults eat the recommended 30g of fibre a day, according to a new British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) report.

That shortfall matters because low fibre intake is tied to a number of health risks including type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. But for founders and investors, it's also clear white space.

Snacks are the obvious target

Snacking is near-universal, yet most popular snacks are low in fibre.

Adding fibre without wrecking taste or texture is already possible. Fruit snacks, pulse snacks, and cereals have been enriched with inulin, carrot fibre, or pea fibre to clear the "high in fibre" mark (6g per 100g).

It's not just snacks. In one German trial, fibre was added to everyday foods like pizza and lifted intake from 22.5g to 36g a day — a sign that almost any familiar product can carry more fibre.

Where the openings are

The opportunity splits across the supply chain, and different players are positioned to capture different parts of it.

• Ingredient suppliers stand to benefit first, selling palatable fibres like inulin and pea fibre to the brands doing the reformulating.
• Challenger brands can build fibre-forward snacks from the ground up, making fibre the headline rather than an afterthought.
• Incumbents can quietly raise the fibre in staples — bread, cereal, ready meals — that millions already buy every week.

"The UK's fibre gap remains one of the most persistent nutritional challenges we face," said BNF chief executive Elaine Hindal, adding that industry "cannot solve this alone" and that coordinated action with government will be needed to make higher-fibre options affordable and visible.