M&S has published a report telling the country of the importance of getting more fibre in its diet, while promoting its Eat Well range.
M&S Food MD Alex Freudmann today joined a roundtable with 13 MPs to present the report, called Bridging Britain’s Fibre Gap.
The reports stresses that research shows 96% of UK consumers are not consuming the recommended 30g of fibre a day, with the average adult only getting 16.2g.
It identifies barriers to increasing fibre intake including lack of awareness, unclear labelling and socioeconomic factors.
It also provides advice for increasing fibre intake, including eating more wholegrains.
M&S’s Eat Well label, used to signpost healthier options, is provided as a “case study”.
“There are over 1,800 Eat Well products in the M&S Food Hall,” the report says. “Every product in the range meets evidenced-based criteria developed by our in-house nutritionists and endorsed by the British Nutrition Foundation and based on the government’s Eatwell Guide.”
M&S head of nutrition Grace Ricotti said: “There is clear evidence linking fibre to improved health outcomes, which is why we’re sharing our research and insights about Britain’s Fibre Gap, and what to do about it.
“We support collaboration between government and industry to prioritise fibre-rich products, effective communication around fibre and its public health benefits.
“Our report includes practical steps to drive fibre consumption, including clearer labelling on pack, fibre-enrichment of products like bread, and more flexibility for retailers to make fibre claims so that it’s easy for customers to see which products are high in fibre.”
British Nutrition Foundation CEO Elaine Hindal said: “The low fibre intakes that we see in the UK population reflect poor dietary patterns with a lack of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, pulses and other plant foods. Evidence shows that low-fibre diets increase the risk of diet-related disease, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer, and so increasing fibre intakes is vital to improve population health.
“We welcome this new report, encouraging industry to take action to support consumers in bridging the fibre gap and making fibre-rich choices easier and more appealing.”
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