Dr Ali Niklewicz talks about STAR Hub and shares some thoughts on why we need to close the UK’s dietary fibre gap.

Closing the UK Fibre Gap

Only 4% of Adults Meet Dietary Fibre Recommendations.

In this blog Dr Ali Niklewicz, STAR Hub’s Engagement Manager, explores how innovation can help.

We need to talk about fibre!

Fibre is key to good health. Fibre-rich diets can lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer and could therefore play an important role in healthy ageing. Fibre also can support a healthy, diverse gut microbiome. Yet compared to protein, vitamins, minerals and omega 3 fatty acids, fibre may be considered one of nutrition’s less glamorous nutrients, and is often dubbed the ‘Cinderella’ nutrient.

Low consumption of Fibre-rich foods

Despite clear evidence-based benefit on health outcomes, compared to recommendations, fibre remains one of the most under-consumed nutrients in the UK diet.  Current UK guidance recommends 30g of fibre per day for adults, yet data from the most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) show that only around 4% of adults regularly meet this recommendation. Persistently low intakes, on average around 16g per day, reflect poor dietary patterns with low intakes of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, pulses and other plant foods – and leaving a sizeable “fibre gap”.

Making fibre-rich foods affordable and accessible

It is increasingly recognised that our diets are not simply a matter of personal choice. The fibre gap signals broader challenges in the food system, including the availability, accessibility and affordability of healthier and more sustainable foods and fibre-rich dietary patterns. Closing the UK’s fibre gap will not be achieved through education alone. It needs readily accessible healthier foods that fit easily into everyday diets and supports a more sustainable food system.

This will need innovation – a core focus of the STAR Hub. The STAR Hub’s remit is to support health-focused, sustainable innovation, working in collaboration  with industry, policy and wider society to facilitate translatable research to real world solutions. One of the initial focus challenge areas of the STAR Hub is fibre.

A second challenge: food waste

Alongside nutritional concerns in our food consumption, the UK faces a major sustainability issue. Each year, over £1 billion worth of food waste is generated in the UK, much of it from fruit and vegetable by-products. Many of these by-products are rich in dietary fibre and bioactive compounds, yet they are routinely discarded or underutilised.

This intersection between low fibre intake and high food waste presents a powerful opportunity.

Powerful partnerships to address fibre gap and sustainability

CASE STUDY STAR HUB FUNDED PROJECT

“Bio-diversifying dietary fibre to bridge the gap to meet the needs of the UK population.”

Led by Dr Sylvia Duncan (University of Aberdeen) in collaboration with Middleton of Rora Dairy Produce Ltd, the STAR Hub funded project explored whether fruit and vegetable by-products could be transformed into functional, consumer-acceptable foods that help increase fibre intake while reducing waste.

Consumer acceptance-crucial to real world translation and real impact

Good nutritional attributes alone are not enough. For real-world impact, foods must also be enjoyable.  The study suggests that fibre enrichment does not have to compromise taste or texture, and that sustainable ingredients can be successfully incorporated into everyday foods suitable across the life course from children to older adults.

Impact beyond the yogurt pot

By developing a fibre-enriched food in a familiar foodstuff, the STAR Hub funded project

  • supports translational innovations to encourage higher fibre intake, a clear imperative for public health in the UK.
  • tackles an important sustainability challenge by repurposing fruit and vegetable by-products that would otherwise contribute to food waste, improving resource efficiency within the food system.
  • harnesses the power of collaboration: bringing together nutrition and microbiome science, product development and sensory testing to create a consumer-acceptable product with clear economic potential for the UK food industry.

Closing the gap, one innovation at a time

The STAR Hub is helping to bridge the gap, bringing together science, industry and innovation to support healthier people, healthier diets, and a healthier planet.

Join the Hub today and be part of our journey