Tate & Lyle has launched a fibre calculator to help raise awareness to the population’s ‘fibre gap’. Whilst the health benefits of fibre are becoming more widely known, intake remains low. New consumer research[1], conducted by Tate & Lyle amongst UK adults, has found that more than a third (36%) of people think they are not consuming enough fibre. The survey revealed that 32% of consumers didn’t know the UK government’s daily fibre recommendation of 30g, with 1 in 10 (12%) thinking they recommend as little as 15g a day.
However, appetite for education on the subject was high, with 87% of people keen to know if they were getting the daily recommended amount of fibre in their diet, and the majority (94%) prepared to make changes to their diet to increase their fibre intake. The survey also found that whilst many consumers know that eating fibre helps keep bowel function regular (65%) and improves digestive health (70%) far fewer understand that getting the right amount of fibre is highly beneficial for wider health and wellbeing, including lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers (40%).
The new fibre calculator tool from Tate & Lyle, created in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation, asks the user eight questions to assess their current eating habits, before giving them an overall fibre score, and offering simple tips and personalised advice about how to increase their fibre consumption.
[1] SurveyMonkey, 1004 consumers (aged between 18-80), surveyed from 2 August 2022 – 3 August 2022
