Nudging Consumers Towards Fibre

Description

Mention the word ‘fibre’ and what’s the first thing that comes to mind? A middle-aged man in a cardigan, munching muesli? (Just me?).

The NHS guidelines advise we consume 30g of it a day as part of a healthy diet. Yet despite a growing awareness of gut health (see all those recipes involving chia seeds, shop shelves laden with probiotic yoghurt drinks and blogs about homemade kombucha) most consumers still aren’t hitting that daily target. Recent research by Mintel found we’re falling well short – on average eating only 18g a day.

Why are so many of us rejecting ruffage? When the British Heart Foundation asked the question, they found people often associated increased fibre intake with bloating and gassiness.

How do those in the worlds of business, agriculture and health overcome these unfortunate pre-conceptions? It’s important we do, because a high fibre diet can play an important role in combatting things like high cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes and reducing the risk of certain types of cancer.

One way is through education – better informing consumers around the health benefits of increasing the amount of fibre in their food.

Changing associations will, in turn, enable savvy marketing departments to nudge shoppers towards making healthier choices.

At Ulster University, we recently carried out a huge scoping study, examining all the new products and modified products launched in the UK market in the past three years, featuring ‘high fibre’ ingredients.

Of the 1,473 products, most were classified as snacks, breakfast cereals and bakery products – categories that are easy to incorporate into everyday diets.

In order to be able to put the ‘high fibre’ claim on packaging, products must contain a minimum of 6g per 100, or 3g per 100kacl. In terms of how the products were marketed, five particular ways emerged: A claim such as ‘high in fibre’ or ‘good source of fibre’; Similar phrasing, but set in a text box, to make it stand out; A high fibre claim beside an image (eg, a sheaf of wheat); High in fibre, with a tick, to show the claim had been validated; A specific measurement of fibre content (eg, contains 15g of fibre).

Preliminary findings showed only one per cent of claims gave a specific fibre value on the front of the pack, while a third displayed a ‘high in fibre’ claim alone. Addressing a specific dietary requirement could be another way of encouraging greater consumption.

Northern Ireland based ‘Just Live a Little’ uses gluten-free oats, blend[1]ed with wholegrains and nuts in its high fibre granola. In a similar vein, Waitrose and Partners’ have used innovative, high fibre ingredients such as lentil flower in their ‘Free From’ ownbrand.

Our research, using data from Mintel, found a growing use of ingredients such as hemp and flaxseed. While these are not currently common crops in Northern Ireland, they could present future opportunities for diversification – particularly as flaxseed can be used as an egg replacement in baked goods or as a dairy alternative.

We’re currently carrying out research into people’s knowledge and awareness of fibre-rich foods. By participating in our survey, you will help shape research that will enable us to understand consumer fibre claim choices, informing new product development and labelling information opportunities within the food industry.

Written by Kerri Grant (PhD Researcher) and Dr Lynsey Hollywood (Senior Lecturer in Consumer Management and Food Innovation, UU). Kerri is a PhD Researcher at UU Business School.