Tate and Lyle has launched a fibre calculator to help raise awareness of healthy eating and the population’s ‘fibre gap’.
The new fibre calculator tool, created in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation, asks the user eight questions to assess their current eating habits, before giving them an overall score and offering simple tips on how to increase their fibre consumption.
Tate & Lyle revealed the calculator as part of their Gut Health Campaign, which aims to raise consumer understanding of the benefits of fibre.
New consumer research conducted by the global supplier of healthier food and beverages found that amongst UK adults, more than a third (36%) of people think they are not consuming enough fibre.
The survey also revealed that 32% of consumers didn’t know the UK government’s daily fibre recommendation of 30g, meaning fibre intake for the UK population is low despite the benefits being widely known.
Far more people wanted to be educated on the topic however, as 87% of people were keen to know they were getting the daily recommended amount of fibre in their diet.
The majority (94%) prepared to make changes to their diet to increase their fibre intake.
The benefits of a high fibre diet include lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
“We’re delighted to launch our new fibre calculator and hope the availability of a tool like this helps raise awareness amongst consumers of their ‘fibre gap’ and how to improve their daily intake of fibre,” said global head, nutrition & regulatory affairs at Tate & Lyle, Dr Kavita Karnik.
“We know that reaching the daily fibre recommendation is challenging, and for most people it is difficult to do so without exceeding their recommended calorie intake. This is where reformulation of the everyday products like cereal bars, yoghurt, and sports drinks, can be really effective in improving nutritional intakes.”
Science director at the British Nutrition Foundation, Sara Stanner also commented, saying: “We know that many people need to eat more fibre to support better health, but often awareness around how to improve diets is lacking and healthy behaviour change is challenging.
“This is why a tool like this new fibre calculator can be so helpful in raising awareness and educating people on how they can improve their diets and overall health.”
