Before starting I wanted to share a few insights I got from Tastewise, the AI-powered food intelligence platform trusted by leading CPG and Foodservice brands (and the sponsor of this issue). They’ve been tracking fibre trends across millions of real consumer occasions — and here’s what’s standing out:

Why this matters
Fibre is officially moving from a niche nutrition detail to a mainstream expectation. It’s showing up in the way people snack, cook, and shop for everyday health. And the brands that treat fibre as a platform for innovation — not just a label claim — are the ones setting themselves up to win in 2026.

If you want to dive deeper into how fibre is evolving within your category and where the next whitespace opportunities are, you can book a Tastewise demo — they’ll walk you through the trends shaping your next launch.

When we talk about fibre, not all motivations behind its rise carry the same weight, or the same level of awareness. Some drivers are already rooted in everyday consumer behaviour, others are accelerating fast as wellness culture evolves, and a few are just beginning to surface in science and early adopters’ circles. Breaking them down into established, growing, and emerging drivers helps us understand where the fibre trend is today and where it’s heading next.

On the horizon, fibre is gaining attention for its potential to mitigate environmental pollutants like microplastics (MPs) in our food supply. With MPs detected in beverages, fruits, and processed items (posing risks for inflammation, oxidative stress, and toxin delivery) research suggests dietary fibre may bind these particles in the gut, reducing absorption and supporting microbiome resilience.

As regulations tighten on MPs by 2025, this could drive innovation in fibre-fortified products positioned as protective against modern contaminants.

Getting enough dietary fiber isn’t just about digestion—it’s the unsung hero of beauty and whole body wellbeing. Research shows that fiber-rich diets support gut microbiota diversity, which plays a critical role in reducing inflammation, improving skin health, and balancing mood.

Soluble fibers, found in foods like chia seeds, oats, and inulin, are fermented in the gut by the microbiome, to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that help maintain the skin's elasticity and reduce redness. Insoluble fibers from whole grains and nuts ensure your body efficiently eliminates toxins that can dull your complexion. But the benefits of fiber for beauty go beyond the skin.

The gut-skin axis, a concept gaining traction in dermatology, highlights how gut health directly influences skin conditions like acne, eczema, and rosacea. A diet lacking in fiber can disrupt the gut microbiome, leading to increased inflammation and oxidative stress—two primary culprits behind premature aging.

More and more research recognizes that our gut and brain are deeply connected — not just via digestion, but through complex microbiome-brain signalling. Fibre isn’t just “roughage” anymore: it’s the fuel for gut microbes that generate metabolites influencing mood, brain function, inflammation and long-term neural health. Including simple fibre staples like oats or prebiotic-rich meals might do more than support digestion , they may form the foundation of everyday mental wellness.

Nowadays productos with fibre cannot talk about brain health and that’s why most of them have additions of other minerals like Zink or event fats like Omega 3 that make it easy to position and claim the product around brain health benefits.

Biodiversity Diets and Gut Health: Diverse plant-based eating boosts microbiome diversity, with high-fibre whole-food interventions increasing beneficial bacteria and reducing inflammation. Benefits include better immune responses, lower disease risks (e.g., cancer, diabetes), and enhanced fibre fermentation for short-chain fatty acids that promote colon health.

The UK's 30 Plants Per Week Promoted by experts and organizations stems from the American Gut Project showing 30+ plant varieties weekly yield more diverse gut microbes than <10.

It uses a "plant points" system across six groups (veggies, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts/seeds, herbs/spices), where variety provides diverse fibres, prebiotics, and polyphenols for gut resilience, energy, and longevity—potentially adding healthy years to life.

Fibre's link to weight loss is another burgeoning driver, particularly through its natural stimulation of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), a hormone that promotes satiety and regulates appetite. Fermentable fibres, such as those in oats, beans, and fruits, are broken down by gut bacteria to produce short-chain fatty acids that boost GLP-1 secretion, mimicking the effects of popular weight-loss medications like Ozempic or Wegovy without the side effects. This leads to reduced calorie intake, improved insulin sensitivity, and sustainable weight management, with studies showing fibre-rich diets enhancing GLP-1 activity for better metabolic health and fat loss.

Books like "The Skinny Gut Diet" by Brenda Watson emphasize this connection, advocating for fibre-focused eating to balance the gut microbiome for permanent weight loss.

These are the tried-and-true benefits that consumers have long associated with fibre, and what brands have marketed for decades—focusing on basics like constipation relief and cholesterol management. Fibre's role in promoting regular bowel movements (laxation) and reducing LDL "bad" cholesterol to support heart health remains a cornerstone.

Studies consistently link higher fibre intake to lower cardiovascular disease risk, with soluble fibres helping stabilize blood pressure and inflammation while aiding weight control. These drivers continue to fuel demand in everyday products like cereals and breads but nowadays are expanded to new categories like sparkling drinks, powders to personalize your morning beverages, PB dairy among others.

On the flip side, fibre’s rise is a goldmine for brands willing to innovate. With more than 90% of consumers falling short on daily fibre intake (largely due to processed diets) the gap between need and availability is massive.

Fibre sits at the intersection of the two fastest-growing wellness priorities: gut health and metabolic resilience.
With a huge number consumers prioritizing daily wellness, fibre can be positioned as the “next protein” in functional nutrition.

Here’s where the biggest opportunities lie:

There’s huge headroom to expand high-fibre offerings across breakfast, snacks, dairy alternatives, and beverages. Winning strategies include:

The market is ready for a bigger story than “good for digestion.”
Opportunities include:

In functional nutrition, trust is everything. Consumers rely heavily on experts, influencers, and real people who feel relatable and credible. Brands that co-create or partner with trusted voices win disproportionate attention and confidence.
Examples like The Gut Health Doctor brand Bio& Me in the UK or Peru’s Al Trono—co-created with influencer Paloma Derteano—show how powerful ambassador-led education can be.

Whether it’s a dietitian, a scientist-founder, or a lifestyle creator with strong community roots, trusted voices accelerate adoption, simplify complex science, and give functional foods the legitimacy consumers crave.

Fibre derived from upcycled produce, regenerative crops, or low-impact plant sources ticks all the boxes for eco-driven shoppers.
This is especially powerful in categories like functional beverages, where sustainability and wellness increasingly converge.

One of the biggest untapped opportunities is quietly improving the foods people already eat—making them naturally higher in fibre without compromising taste or affordability.

Brands like Simple Mills have mastered this by replacing refined white flours with almond flour and seed blends, boosting fibre and nutrient density while staying familiar and mass-market friendly.

This “better everyday swap” strategy works especially well for early-mass audiences, families, and even kids, who want healthier choices but won’t drastically overhaul their eating habits and taste preferences. Fibre-forward whole-food upgrades in crackers, pancakes, snacks, and baking mixes meet consumers where they already are—turning routine foods into functional nutrition.

Every 10 days , I’ll keep sharing the trends shaping food and wellness. My wish is that they give you not only inspiration, but also clarity — so that we can all build a healthier, brighter future.

Remember, trends only matter when they spark action!

Until next issue :)