Fiber forward

Image by gwendolyn salas / MJH Life Sciences using AI

Dietary fiber is an important nutrient that is well-recognized and sought after by consumers. According to the International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) 2024 Food & Health Survey,¹ fiber was among the most desirable nutrients in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, just behind protein. In the survey, 64% of American consumers said that they were actively trying to consume fiber. Additionally, 92% of people actively trying to consume fiber do so from food. “Good source of fiber” was also cited by 24% of consumers as a way to signify a food as healthy.

According to data from Innova Market Insights,² the perceived importance of fiber grows with age. For consumers between the ages of 18 and 24, 51% accept fiber in their food, while 59% of consumers between 25 and 24 accept fiber in their food. After the age of 55, this percentage goes up to 71%. It should be no surprise that fiber consumption is a higher priority with advanced age, considering its benefits in reducing one’s risk of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.

While fiber is well accepted and recognized for its health benefits, it is still a nutrient of public health concern according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.³ Based on research from USDA, Economic Research Service, and an external collaborator, dietary fiber density, measured as grams of fiber per 1,000 calories in food consumed, did not vary much across race and ethnicity in the 1977-1978 and 1989-1991 survey periods, but the gap has been widening over time. Since the 1994-1998 survey period, the diets of non-Hispanic black people have been significantly lower in fiber density compared to non-black people. For example, in the 2017-2018 survey period, Hispanic populations and people of other races and ethnicities had 9.2 grams of fiber per 1000 calories, which is significantly higher to the 7.7 and 7 grams of fiber per 1000 calories that were consumed by non-Hispanic white people and black people, respectively.

Clearly, fiber continues to have opportunity for growth as attempts are made to correct these disparities in fiber consumption. What’s interesting, however, is that according to Innova Market Insights, younger generations are more interested in prebiotics, and as a result, product launches between 2019 and 2023 with fiber claims have decreased while launches with prebiotic claims have increased. Part of the problem may be that fiber and prebiotic are used almost interchangeably. Terms like prebiotic fiber add to the confusion when you consider that not all fibers meet the definition of a prebiotic.

In a recent webinar hosted by Nutritional Outlook, called “Demystifying the Prebiotic and Postbiotic Markets,” Sandra Saville, RD, director of education and communication for the International Probiotics Association (IPA), said that in a survey commissioned by IPA and conducted by FMCG Gurus, many respondents had poor knowledge of what was and was not a prebiotic. For example, fibers that did not meet the criteria of fermentability were listed as prebiotics, as well as omega-3s, minerals, and polyphenols.

There’s therefore a need to educate consumers so that they can properly distinguish between fiber and prebiotics. This may be easier for fiber ingredients than prebiotics, as the latter does not have a standardized definition from regulators. By contrast, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has an approved list of ingredients that meet the criteria of fiber, namely, “certain naturally occurring fibers that are ‘intrinsic and intact’ in plants, and added isolated or synthetic non-digestible soluble and insoluble carbohydrates that FDA has determined have beneficial physiological effects to human health. These effects include lowering blood glucose and blood cholesterol, reducing calorie intake, and increasing the frequency of bowel movements.”⁴

Fiber continues to have a great deal of potential as an ingredient, but more work needs to be done to educate the public about its nutritional importance and what constitutes something as dietary fiber.

References

1. The International Food Information Council (IFIC) Releases Annual Food & Health Survey Revealing Rising Consumer Stress, Lagging Consumer Confidence In The U.S. Food Supply. IFIC. June 20, 2024. https://ific.org/media-information/press-releases/2024-food-health-survey/ (accessed 2024-10-22).
2. Fiber and Prebiotic Trends in the US. Innova Market Insights. April 29, 2024. https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/fiber-and-prebiotic-trends-in-the-us/ (accessed 2024-10-21).
3. Over time, racial and ethnic gaps in dietary fiber consumption per 1,000 calories have widened. USDA. March 28, 2023. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=106189# (accessed 2024-10-21).
4. Questions and Answers on Dietary Fiber. FDA. July 15, 2024. https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/questions-and-answers-dietary-fiber#define_dietary_fiber (accessed 2024-10-21).