NINETY PERCENT OF UK ADULTS DON’T EAT ENOUGH FIBRE – UK FLOUR MILLERS IS LAUNCHING FIBRE FEBRUARY TO HELP YOU STAY HEALTHY
With adults eating less than 20g of the recommended 30g fibre daily, Fibre February efforts will bridge the gap between fibre awareness and consumption for people across the UK
Adults in the United Kingdom (UK) should increase their fibre intake to the recommended 30g daily. UK Flour Millers is launching this year’s Fibre February campaign to bridge the gap between fibre awareness and intake, helping people live healthier lives.
UK Flour Millers, the UK’s flour industry trade body, is supporting Fibre February by increasing their social media activity to highlight facts about fibre, health benefits associated with fibre, and flour’s contribution to fibre. They are partnering with organisations such as the British Nutrition Foundation, Food a Fact of Life, Food & Drink Federation (FDF), and Federation of Bakers to reach as wide a UK audience as possible, since the lack of enough daily fibre affects everyone.
“Fibre helps to keep our gut healthy and can help reduce constipation. A high fibre diet may help to reduce our risk of heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer,” Dr Stacey Lockyer, BSc(hons) MSc PhD RNutr, who is a senior nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation said. “However, on average, intakes of fibre in the UK are well below recommendations in all age groups. To get enough fibre in our diets it is important to include a variety of fibre-providing foods regularly, such as wholemeal bread, wholegrain breakfast cereals, brown pasta or rice, fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts, seeds, and potatoes with skins.”
Currently, no age group is getting the recommended fibre intake. On top of UK Flour Millers’ efforts, FAB Flour, or the Flour Advisory Bureau which is the consumer-facing programme of UK Flour Millers, will share information and even delicious flour- and fibre-filled recipes on their website and social media channels.
Alistair Gale, UK Flour Millers’ chief executive officer, explained: “Fibre February is a fantastic campaign that not only promotes healthy lifestyles for people across the UK, but is also important to the flour milling industry. Many high-fibre products that we enjoy eating contain flour, so the hard work and dedication of flour millers truly nourishes the nation.”
According to data from the FDF, only 1 in 3 people know that the recommended amount of fibre adults should consume is 30g. Beyond that, approximately 70% of people are unaware if they meet that recommended amount, when FAB Flour states 75% of women and 50% of men need to increase their fibre consumption.
“High dietary fibre intake is associated with increased gut microbiota diversity,” Paula Papa, UK Flour Millers’ technical and regulatory affairs officer who has a MSc in food science, commented. “Fibre can increase good bacteria and have anti-inflammatory effects. Our industry is appropriately placed to bridge the gap in fibre intake because although wholemeal wheat flour has the most fibre, all wheat flours contain fibre.”
The importance of flour, and therefore flour milling, and its connection to fibre in the UK cannot be overstated, since FDF data also highlights the fact that cereals and cereal products make up the largest contribution of foods to fibre intake. Flour is one of the most common food ingredients in the UK, present in about a third of all supermarket food products. UK Flour Millers aims to increase awareness and consumption of fibre and flour during Fibre February.
About UK Flour Millers:
UK Flour Millers is the trade body for the UK flour milling industry. We support our members by facilitating reliable, sustainable, and affordable supplies of wheat, providing training, promoting good practice in health and safety, advocating for the industry, and shaping and supporting long-term research and development.
Notes to readers:
Information about the number of people who know the recommended amount of daily fibre for adults and if they consume that amount was collected by the Food & Drink Federation. FDF also collated the information on foods to fibre intake. Information about gender demographics and increased fibre needs came from FAB Flour. According to Kantar worldpanel and Ascential, flour is used as an ingredient in approximately one-third of foods sold in the UK, and 98% of UK households buy bread. Flour is an important part of everyday life in the UK, and UK Flour Millers supports the efforts of flour millers to provide this essential ingredient.
UK Flour Millers launched Fibre February in 2017 and has supported the month-long initiative yearly since. Consumers can get involved with the #FibreFebruary campaign on UK Flour Millers’ social media channels (LinkedIn, X, and Facebook) as well as FAB Flour’s social media channels (Instagram, X, and Facebook).
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