‘The next protein’: Fiber is shaping up to be the latest grocery obsession

One of this year's apical nutrient trends is facing immoderate pugnacious competition.

Protein captivated consumers and nutrient companies successful 2025, but fibre is progressively stealing the country arsenic radical spot an expanding accent connected promoting gut health.

It's taken clasp connected societal media, wherever "fibermaxxing" — oregon the conception of expanding fibre intake done full foods similar fruits and legumes — has seen thousands of posts.

"Fiber is yet getting a spotlight, which is simply a large happening due to the fact that it's a nutrient that radical need," said Stephanie Mattucci, main strategist astatine nutrient probe institution Mintel.

Currently, 90% of women and 97% of men successful the U.S. are not gathering their regular fibre requirements, Mattucci said. For astir Americans, that recommended scope usually falls determination betwixt 25 grams and 38 grams of fibre per day, she added.

But much radical are opening to instrumentality announcement of those gaps.

According to Mattucci, 22% of consumers successful the U.S. said precocious fibre contented was 1 of their apical 3 important factors erstwhile buying for nutrient — up from conscionable 17% successful 2021.

Wall Street's companies are taking note, too. On an net telephone with analysts successful October, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said fibre was emerging astatine the forefront of the company's merchandise goals arsenic it looked up to 2026.

"I deliberation fibre volition beryllium the adjacent protein," Laguarta said. "Consumers are starting to recognize that fibre is the payment that they need. It's really an ratio successful U.S. consumers' diets, and that volition beryllium elevated."

In February, the institution is going a measurement farther and plans to motorboat Smartfood Fiber Pop, featuring six grams of macromolecule per serving, and SunChips Fiber, incorporating fibre variants similar full grains and achromatic beans, Pepsi's main subject officer, Tara Glasgow, told CNBC exclusively.

And there's a crushed companies are broadening their offerings. Research steadfast Datassential recovered that fibre is connected way to beryllium the "next large wellness inclination pursuing connected the heels of protein" successful its 2026 trends report.

Of the consumers the steadfast surveyed, 54% said they are funny successful foods and beverages that are precocious successful fiber. That fig is adjacent higher — reaching 60% — among members of Generation Z, who are pioneering the "fibermaxxing" inclination connected societal media.

And 42% of consumers said they judge the property of "high fiber" connected a nutrition statement of immoderate nutrient oregon beverage merchandise is important to defining that merchandise arsenic "healthy," according to Datassential.

It's that momentum that landed fibre arsenic 1 of Whole Foods Market's top trends for 2026.

Watching fibre intake isn't new, experts note, but it's often been associated with older radical who necessitate it for wellness reasons arsenic they age.

"When I deliberation of fiber, I instantly deliberation of my grandfather. Every day, helium had his small baggie of All-Bran, and helium brought it everyplace helium went, astir apt retired of necessity," Mintel's Mattucci said, citing the slowing of digestive tracts arsenic radical age.

Still, thing has shifted arsenic consumers of each ages person started placing much accent connected promoting gut wellness and digestive wellness — and fibre entered the spotlight.

The accent connected diverseness of fibre intake and uncovering it successful mundane full foods alternatively than done supplements oregon powders is portion of what's allowing it to find popularity and align with existent culture, according to Angela Salas, a elder dietitian astatine the University of California, Davis.

The 2 types of fibre — soluble and insoluble — enactment unneurotic to support radical fuller for longer, amended digestion, and little humor unit and cholesterol, Salas said. In immoderate ways, fibre could mimic the effects of weight-loss drugs due to the fact that it takes longer to interruption down nutrient and truthful sits successful the tummy for longer, she said, which could beryllium a origin for its caller popularity.

"These nutrients person ever been astir and ever benignant of shifts, I think, from the nutrient manufacture saying, 'What tin we highlight? What bash radical privation to beryllium focusing connected truthful that we tin proceed to merchantability the aforesaid product, conscionable somewhat altered?'" Salas said.

Still, Kate Pelletier, a registered dietitian nutritionist astatine the University of Michigan Health, said it's important to enactment that fibre is not capable arsenic an alternate to GLP-1 drugs, and a balanced sheet is the champion mode to enactment healthy.

Pelletier said fiber's usage arsenic a "street sweeper" for the assemblage is apt 1 of the reasons it's been thrust backmost into the spotlight.

"There's been a truly large displacement into much earthy plants alternatively of popping a supplement oregon utilizing a macromolecule powder," Pelletier said. "We tin get the payment of fibre from reasoning astir adding much wholesome foods into our diet, versus emblematic fare civilization [which] focuses connected taking retired X, Y oregon Z." 

Food and beverage companies are jumping connected the momentum, too.

Earlier this year, Coca-Cola launched its prebiotic soda, Simply Pop, with six grams of prebiotic fibre successful 5 flavors to promote gut health. Nestlé unveiled a caller macromolecule shingle successful June with 4 grams of prebiotic fibre designed specifically to enactment the digestive wellness of adults connected GLP-1 medications.

Other companies similar Olipop person besides entered the prebiotic soda market, boasting recipes that beforehand gut health, portion smaller businesses, similar Floura macromolecule bars and Sola Bagels, person besides begun selling fiber-rich products.

Pepsi's Glasgow told CNBC the institution is taking each accidental to research consumers' newfound involvement successful fiber. Glasgow said the probe and improvement team's enactment starts successful subject and follows trends to support up with their audience's evolving tastes.

Pepsi already has products connected the marketplace that specifically boast precocious fibre content, similar its prebiotic cola and Quaker oatmeal. As consumers commencement to research the antecedently "sleepy small nutrient," Glasgow said, Pepsi is innovating caller products crossed its beverages and nutrient brands.

"We perceive it from consumers arsenic good that they're becoming much knowledgeable astir nutrition and their nutrition needs," Glasgow said. "And I deliberation that's wherever the excitement is coming from. I consciousness it growing."

Glasgow said the company, which already launched palmy protein-packed products this year, is moving toward products that incorporated aggregate sources of gut-healthy ingredients.

"We saw macromolecule turn successful a large mode successful the past mates years," Glasgow said. "I deliberation [consumers] are past expanding their view, and they recognize there's not 1 constituent unsocial that is the metallic bullet. It's astir getting the close ingredients each together."

For some, fibre isn't conscionable a trend.

Naomi Aganekwu, a 27-year-old contented creator, said she started incorporating fibre much intentionally into her fare past year. Now, she makes definite each repast she eats has astatine slightest 5 to 10 grams of fibre done foods similar beans, lentils and chia effect puddings.

Aganekwu said she's seeing results from incorporating fibre into her diet, similar being satiated aft meals and seeing her hormonal acne reduce. And arsenic she's championing fiber, she's seeing the radical astir her bash the same, particularly among her generation.

It's go idiosyncratic for Aganekwu, too, whose begetter died earlier this twelvemonth of colon cancer. Some research has shown fibre could forestall colorectal crab successful summation to promoting wide health, according to the National Institutes of Health.

"You don't privation to hold until you're 60 oregon 70 and you're dealing with much diagnoses," she said. "There's a batch that you tin do, adjacent conscionable successful your mundane choices, down to what you're putting connected your plate, that tin straight interaction your chances oregon alteration your chances of processing captious diseases."