The shift towards eating out-of-home more often, alongside the rapid growth of takeaways and deliveries, has contributed to the poor nutritional profile of the UK diet. But could this sector also play a role in closing the UK’s fibre gap? Gemma Cowie and the Nutrition Intelligence Team at the British Nutrition Foundation explore the nation’s fibre intake and examine opportunities, barriers and research gaps surrounding the out-of-home food sector’s potential to help increase fibre consumption.

 

Eating Out or Missing Out? Exploring the UK’s Fibre Gap

For many people, eating outside the home is no longer an occasional treat but a routine part of everyday life. Whether it’s grabbing lunch at work, ordering a takeaway after a busy day, or picking up food on the go, the out-of-home (OOH) food sector now plays an increasingly important role in shaping dietary habits. Yet, while public health discussions have largely focused on reducing calories, sugar and salt, one nutrient has received far less attention: fibre.

The Changing Food Environment

OOH eating includes any food prepared outside the home, encompassing restaurants, cafés, pubs, takeaways, fast-food outlets, convenience stores and retail food-to-go. Recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) data highlight the widespread consumption of OOH food and drink across the UK. In the survey, when asked about purchasing behaviours over the previous seven days, 72% of participants reported buying food or drink from OOH outlets at least once or twice. Consistent with this finding, four-day dietary recall data showed that 54% of participants consumed food or drink outside the home on at least one occasion, with almost a quarter (23%) reporting consumption from fast-food or takeaway outlets.

The increase in eating OOH is concerning as such foods tend to contain more calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt, and less fibre than foods prepared at home. Fast-food outlets contribute the greatest proportion of energy consumed from OOH food, with such meals providing, on average almost 200 more calories than meals eaten at home.

Notably, young people aged 11 to 18 years have been reported to be the most frequent purchasers of OOH food and drink. This is particularly important because dietary habits established during adolescence often persist into adulthood. High consumption at this life stage may therefore contribute to long-term preferences for energy-dense, nutrient-poor diets.

A persistent fibre gap

Despite its well-established health benefits, fibre has remained largely absent from public nutrition campaigns compared with nutrients such as sugar, salt and saturated fat. Fibre intake across the UK remains consistently low. Only around 4% of adolescents and adults meet current recommendations of 25–30g per day, with average intakes reaching only around 15–16g daily.

This shortfall has important implications for public health. Higher fibre intake is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, while it effects on satiety may also help support a healthy body weight. Interest has also grown in fibre’s role as a substrate for beneficial gut bacteria, which ferment fibre to product short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate. These metabolites influence a wide range of biological processes, including host metabolism, intestinal function and immune function.

Poor Fibre Offerings in OOH

Despite the evidence supporting higher fibre intakes, many foods commonly purchased outside the home are energy-dense and fibre-poor. Refined carbohydrates dominate many popular menu items, from burger buns and pizza bases to white rice and pasta, while wholegrain alternatives are often scarce. Similarly, meals frequently lack meaningful amounts of vegetables, pulses and beans, fibre-rich ingredients that would also enhance overall nutritional quality.

As eating OOH becomes an increasingly routine part of daily life rather than an occasional indulgence, the widespread availability of fibre-poor default options is likely to represent a structural contributor to the UK’s persistent fibre gap.

Why are lower-fibre options the default?

The predominance of lower-fibre foods reflects both consumer behaviour and industry barriers. Consumers often prioritise convenience, affordability and taste when eating out, favouring refined grains that offer familiar flavours and softer textures. Wholegrains, pulses and other fibre-rich ingredients may be perceived as less appealing or less convenient, reinforcing demand for the traditional menu options.

From a business perspective, increasing fibre content is not always straightforward. Reformulating products with wholegrains or pulses can affect texture, appearance and consumer acceptance, while also increasing ingredient and development costs. In a competitive marketplace, these changes may be viewed as commercial risks.

However, given the contribution of the OOH sector to obesogenic food environment, there is a clear need for change. More action is needed from food businesses and many of the identified barriers can be overcome. Previous public health initiatives have demonstrated that industry can successfully reformulate products when supported by strong policy incentives that create a level playing field. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy drove substantial reductions in the sugar content of drinks, while mandatory calorie labelling encouraged businesses to reduce the calorie content of menu items, even when consumer purchasing behaviour changed little. By comparison, fibre has received limited policy attention, providing businesses with few incentives to actively increase the fibre content of their products.

An opportunity for the OOH sector

Rather than being viewed solely as part of the problem, the OOH sector could become an important contributor to improving population fibre intake. Because millions of meals are purchased outside the home each week, even relatively small increases in the fibre content of commonly consumed foods could have meaningful public health benefits. One promising approach is “health by stealth”, whereby fibre is gradually incorporated into familiar foods without requiring consumers to consciously change their behaviour. Reformulating products with higher-fibre ingredients, while maintaining taste, texture and affordability, could improve dietary quality without compromising consumer acceptance.

Alongside reformulation, behavioural interventions offer further opportunities. Menu design, product placement, labelling, default side dishes and meal bundles incorporating vegetables, pulses or wholegrains may encourage consumers to choose higher-fibre options while preserving convenience. Importantly, these approaches shift some responsibility from individuals towards creating healthier food environments, where the easier choice is also the healthier one.

Where should research go next?

While research continues to improve our understanding of the many ways in which dietary fibre supports health, a major challenge now is translating this evidence into meaningful increases in population fibre intake. To date, research has largely focused on individual dietary behaviours, with comparatively little attention given to structural interventions within food service settings.

Future research should investigate which OOH interventions, including reformulation, menu design, pricing, product placement and labelling, most effectively increase fibre purchases and consumption. There is also a need to understand consumer acceptance of higher-fibre reformulated foods, determine which products offer the greatest opportunities for reformulation, identify the most appropriate fibre ingredients for different applications, and evaluate whether supportive policy measures could encourage businesses to prioritise fibre in the same way that they have reduced sugar.

Closing the UK’s fibre gap will require more than encouraging individuals to eat differently. It will require reshaping the environments in which food choices are made. Given the frequency with which consumers engage with the OOH sector, it represents a promising yet currently underutilised setting for improving dietary fibre intake and supporting better public health.

 

Key References:

British Nutrition Foundation (2026) Dietary Fibre in 2026. An Update on Barriers & Opportunities to Fill the UK Fibre Gap. Available at: final-fibre-summary-report_june-2026-2.pdf (accessed 11 August 2026)

Garbutt J, Townsend N, Johnson L, Jones A, O’Flaherty M, Colombet Z et al. (2025) The contribution of the out-of-home food (OOHF) sector to the national diet: a cross-sectional survey with repeated 24-hour recalls of adults in England (2023-2024). medRxiv 06.30.25330369 https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.30.25330369

McKeown N M, Fahey G C, Slavin J, van der Kamp J (2022) Fibre intake for optimal health: how can healthcare professionals support people to reach dietary recommendations? BMJ; 378: e054370 doi:10.1136/bmj-2020-054370

OHID (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities) National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019 to 2023: report. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-2019-to-2023/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-2019-to-2023-report (accessed 11 August 2026)

Reynolds A, Mann J, Cummings J, Winter N, Mete E & Te Morenga L (2019) Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Lancet, 393(10170), 434–445. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9

SACN (Scientific Committee on Nutrition) Carbohydrates and Health. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7f7cc3ed915d74e622ac2a/SACN_Carbohydrates_and_Health.pdf (accessed 11 August 2026)

Whelan K, Staudacher H (2022) Fibre is good for the microbiome: but what is the evidence? The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 7988