FDF's Action on Fibre initiative delivers 7.2 billion more servings of fibre to the UK population

In 2022, participating brands have delivered an additional 7.2 billion¹ servings of fibre to the UK population, equivalent to approximately 5.5 billion bowls of bran flakes or 7.8 billion slices of wholemeal bread.

This is thanks to the fantastic efforts of participating companies who have launched 143 new products that are a ‘source of’ or ‘high’ in fibre as well as increasing the fibre in a further 33 products already in market. Fibre has been increased in a wide variety of products including breakfast cereals, bread, snacks, pizzas and meat alternatives to support households to increase their fibre intake throughout the day.

Supporting data from Kantar Worldpanel confirms this has had a demonstrable impact on the average shopping basket with a 2% increase in the fibre content of products purchased by consumers from participating brands. This is almost four times the growth in fibre compared to products purchased by consumers from the total food and drink market in five years ², exemplifying the impact of this industry led initiative.

Chief scientific officer at the FDF Kate Halliwell said:

"We are delighted with the results from the first year of Action on Fibre. Our industry is committed to supporting the nation to have healthier diets and the additional 7.2 billion servings of fibre delivered on to supermarket shelves are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the participating brands.

“There is still a way to go to bridge the fibre gap, but this initiative shows how innovative activity by food and drink manufacturers can have a demonstrable impact on improving the nations’ health. We look forward to continuing our efforts in this space and would welcome collaboration with others who share this ambition.”

Nutrition & Health Development Manager at Allied Bakeries Nicky Gillet said:

“We will not meet the UK’s recommended target of everyone consuming 30g of fibre per day without strong engagement from food and drink companies. This is why it is so significant that everyone involved in the Action on Fibre initiative has really stepped up to the challenge of getting more fibre into people’s daily diets, whether through labelling, education, reformulating existing recipes or devising new ones.

“Being able to deliver change that consumers enjoy while demonstrating a significant increase in fibre servings after just one year is a fantastic achievement. Now it’s important that we continue to drive this agenda forward to help move us ever closer to that 30g target.”

Action on Fibre, which launched in 2021, set out with an ambition to make higher fibre diets more appealing, normal and easy for the population.

Despite fibre being an essential nutrient for maintaining good digestive health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, consumption in the UK is far below the dietary recommendation and has been for many years. As such, the FDF and its members recognised the need for action to help bridge the gap between dietary recommendations and intakes.

A total of 25 brands, making 90 pledges, have signed up to help bridge the fibre gap. This includes a wide range of activity, from launching new products and higher fibre options, to raising awareness of the benefits and sources of fibre with consumers, employees, and other stakeholders across the supply chain.

Find more information on how to be a part of the FDF's Action on Fibre initiative and to review the full data.

¹Action on Fibre members self-reported data on fibre content and volume sales of reformulated and new products, 2021 – 2022. A serving of fibre is 3g/serving in line with the CODEX international standards on conditions for claiming a source of dietary fibre per serving (10% of dietary reference value per serving)

² Kantar Worldpanel Take Home data for FDF Action on Fibre members and Total Food & Drink, sales weighted average nutrient content per 100g/100ml/serving, 2022 vs 2021; 2022 vs 2018