Fiber is quickly becoming a "fan favorite" for benefit-stacking consumers
Tap into ingredients delivering high fiber – and other benefits – to optimize your portfolio
With only five percent of Americans meeting their recommended daily fiber intake1, CPG brands and manufacturers are leaning into ingredients that can deliver more of the fiber that consumers need (and want).
Why has fiber recently grown in populatrity? A variety of factors are converging, and they are giving fiber its time to shine. First, the fibermaxxing trend is taking social media by storm. "Fibermaxxing," a TikTok trend featuring high-fiber foods and inspiration for maximizing daily fiber intake has gone viral, with some individual posts reaching more than 10 million views2. Digestive health is also increasing as a priority for US consumers, with 33 percent of consumers currently eating for "digestive health" with a projected increase in that participation growing by 37 percent in 20263. And consumers associate fiber with our digestive health. Dietary fiber is associated as "effectively supporting" digestive health by 93 percent of US consumers4.
In addition to a larger focus on digestive health, a steady rise in GLP-1 use is also connected to consuming fiber-forward foods. Known to help promote regularity and contribute to feelings of fullness5, those taking a GLP-1 or consumers mimicking a GLP-1 eating lifestyle often turn to fiber as a tool in their dietary toolbox.
What does all this mean for manufacturers seeking to tap into the growing potential of higher fiber products?
It’s important to remember that while fiber is high on the consumer list of desired nutritional benefits, it doesn't need to be thought of in isolation. In fact, fiber pairs well with other benefits that consumers also want – namely protein. When asked about efforts to support digestive health, fiber and protein were the two top benefits that would prompt consumers to purchase that food6.
Reformulating or innovating with fiber and protein doesn’t have to be a risky or complicated process. Our ingredient experts at Ardent Mills are providing a roadmap for helping you get there.
Creating a fiber-forward (and more) portfolio
1. To start, brands and foodservice organizations should assess their product mix to determine the highest opportunity for optimization or reformulation. “Ardent Mills regularly works with our customers to determine where they can most easily reformulate or innovate with particular nutritional goals in mind,” said Anke Golde, Senior Director, Ardent Mills Research and Development. “Our teams are focused on ingredient integration that moves our customers’ products closer to consumer expectations while maintaining – or sometimes even improving – taste and texture outcomes.”
2. Next, leverage ingredients that provide more than one benefit. “Benefit stacking is the latest consumer trend,” said Matthew Schueller, Ardent Mills Director of Insights and Analytics. “There are ingredients that can help products deliver more of what consumers want, whether that’s fiber, protein or trusted whole grain nutrition.” One ingredient staged to deliver on many of the benefits consumers prioritize is chickpea. With protein, fiber, pulse nutrition and more, chickpeas can help your products potentially deliver on a multitude of benefits expected from today’s foods without sacrificing the taste or texture consumers expect.
3. Finally, connect the dots for consumers. Be intentional about the nutritional benefits you’re formulating into your products and directly communicate those on packaging, on menus and at point of sale. From fiber and protein claims to educational information about the value of whole grains, consumers look to food manufacturers to be a trusted source for knowledge about the foods they eat7.
Trusted options from the ingredient experts
In addition to chickpea, there are other ingredients that can play a key role in increasing the number of benefits your products offer. From gluten-free options like lentils and flax to traditional ingredients like whole wheat flours and high-fiber barley, Ardent Mills has a full range of ingredient options for reformulating or innovating with confidence. You can learn more about our fiber-forward ingredients here.
In addition to the right ingredients, we also have the right teams in place to help you achieve your goals. With dedicated resources in insights, R&D and innovation, Ardent Mills can be the supplier-partner you need to go from conceptual idea to real-world product with efficiency and operational excellance.
Ready to benefit stack your products? We're ready to help. Learn more about the data behind benefit stacking, what today's consumers expect from foods they eat and how you can create a portfolio that outpaces your competition here.