Taylor Farms chopped salad kits, ready-to-eat salad bowls and other vegetable-based products are naturally high in fiber. But that fact has not been displayed on their packaging. Until now.

“Fiber has not always been the sexiest word, but right now with terms like ‘fiber maxing’ and ‘fiber is the sister to protein,’ fiber is everywhere,” says Charis Neves, vice president of product & innovation at Taylor Farms. “So we're taking the opportunity to now put that on our bags.

“Salads are naturally high in both insoluble and soluble fiber, so we already have the foundation for a really great fiber rich meal,” she continues. “Now we're trying to inform the consumer how much fiber comes in a particular salad.”

Taylor Farms is adding information to their packaging that indicates whether a product is a “good source” of fiber, meaning it contains 10-19% of the recommended daily amount of fiber, or an “excellent source,” meaning it has 20%or more.

“I’ve had conversations with my team explaining that five or six years ago there was no way we’re putting ‘fiber’ on our bag — that's like from the days of Metamucil,” Nevis says. “So I think it's really cool that fiber is so important now.”

Fiber is important to many food processors today. Beverage companies, snack makers, even cereal companies are focusing on the nutrient.

“We’re focused on fiber because it’s one of the biggest and most important nutrition gaps in the U.S. today,” says Sarah Ludmer, chief well-being and sustainability officer of WK Kellogg Co., now a part of Ferrero, which just launched its Spoons on-package nutrition information program.

“Nearly 95% of Americans fall short on fiber. Many people don’t know how to incorporate it into their diet and, as trends have pushed against carbs, it has made it harder for people to meet their fiber needs.”

Why now?

Consumers have long known that fiber is an essential dietary component, but it has only recently risen in prominence.

One big reason for fiber’s new popularity is the GLP-1 phenomenon, which has made people more aware of feeling satiated. Fiber makes people feel full – it takes up space in the gut. And doctors are telling GLP-1 users to eat a lot of fiber to counteract common side-effects of the weight-loss drug such as constipation and bloating.

Another reason is the growing science behind gut biome health. Fiber is an essential nutrient for the trillions of bacteria living in the human digestive system, and a healthy gut biome is now understood to reduce inflammation, improve immune function and provide other health benefits.

Jenn Holt, founder of Mía, which introduced the Fiber-First Shake this year, also cites the “95% of Americans aren’t getting enough fiber” statistic. “There’s a massive gap and they’re finding a correlation to colon cancer being on the rise. Fiber really helps with your blood sugar levels. It helps you with your cholesterol. It helps with hormonal balance.”

Holt says she launched her company and created the Fiber-First Shake because of her own health journey and attempts to lose weight after the birth of her children. She thought she was eating well, but learned that she needed more fiber and protein. There were plenty of products that could provide one or the other, but not both. She researched the concept and developed Fiber-First Shake — a powdered mix — to fill that gap.

Rivalz Snacks’ founder Ralph Jerome launched his company in 2022 with a similar aim – to create products that provide both protein and fiber. The Rivalz Stuffed Snack provides 8g of protein and 4g of fiber per each one-ounce serving.

“We believed it was important to innovate in this area because snacks account for almost one-third of daily calories, and most snack options are not ideal from a metabolic health perspective,” Jerome says. “So, we saw an opportunity to create snacks that are genuinely enjoyable while also delivering meaningful nutritional benefits — particularly protein and fiber — in formats people already love to eat.”

Naturally, some food processors with existing products have joined the fiber parade. Danimals, a kid-friendly yogurt product launched by Dannon in 1994, had zero fiber until earlier this year. The recipe was reformulated and now Danimals Smoothies and Pouches contain 3g of fiber per serving.

“The updated recipe was designed to make it easier for parents to choose a snack that offers both a great taste kids love and key nutrients that parents can feel good about,” a company spokesperson said.

Can’t overlook the eating experience

In the drive to create fiber-rich foods, manufacturers are not forgetting the pleasures of eating. No one is going to benefit from healthy food that never leaves store shelves, after all.

Jerome explains that a careful balance of fiber ingredients from vegetables and grains, legume-based ingredients and quality proteins, paired with precise baking conditions, create the crunch and flavor that Rivalz snacks need to attract buyers.

“Cooker extruder technology also plays a major role,” he adds. “Processing conditions such as moisture, temperature, shear and ingredient interactions all influence texture and expansion. The key is not maximizing fiber at all costs - it is finding the right balance between nutrition and consumer enjoyment.”

Similarly, Holt knew that her Fiber-First Shake would only sell if people enjoyed the taste, texture and overall experience. She created a first draft of the recipe in her home kitchen, but turned to the expertise of a co-packer to bring the recipe up to scale.

“We had conversations like, ‘You know, with these ingredients, you’re going to have this fiber source or with this, you’re going to want to have that,’” she remembers. “We went back and forth over several months in terms of what that needed to look like and testing a few different things. And then finally we get to an end result and I started sending this out to family and friends, having people test it. [Asking] ‘Hey, what’s the flavor taste like? What does this feel like on your digestive tract, etc.?’”

The shakes taste about the same as other products in the category, Holt says, despite the high fiber content. Her company has one variety on the market now – chocolate – but she is testing a mocha-flavored version and an unflavored version.

Which fiber?

Fiber comes in countless forms, and food processors use a wide variety in their formulations.

Fiber from whole grains are commonly used in cereals, breads and snacks. Whole grains contain both soluble fiber – good for regulating blood sugar and controlling cholesterol – and insoluble fiber – which helps digestion.

“Many people often think of eating fruits and vegetables to get fiber, but grains aren’t top of mind,” says Kellogg’s Ludmer. “The fiber in our cereals primarily comes from grains, especially wheat bran, which provides a concentrated, natural source of fiber that works differently than many trendy fibers. It’s a unique fiber that helps support regularity and digestive wellness, making the benefit tangible.”

Chicory root fiber, also known as inulin, is another common fiber used in processed foods. That’s the ingredient that Dannon added to Danimals to bump up the fiber content. It also enhances the overall texture and flavor of the yogurt, according to the spokesperson.

Inulin also was the choice of fiber when Hilary Coles was developing her sweetener product, Poca. The idea behind Poca is that people should be able to sweeten their coffee, tea or other beverage without the guilt associated with many sweeteners.

“The formulation centers on a few key ingredients: organic allulose and monk fruit extract provide the sweetness, and chicory root fiber (inulin) is included to deliver 3g of fiber per pouch,” explains Coles, who also co-founded the brand Hims & Hers. “We chose inulin because it dissolves well into our liquid, brings a light sweetness and adds some bulk to produce a nice mouthfeel.”

Of course, many processed foods use more than one fiber source.

To provide the blast of 22g of fiber in each serving of Fiber-First Shake, the product’s recipe includes five different fiber sources: Acacia gum, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), organic flaxseed powder, oat flour powder and guar gum. Each provides a different nutritional benefit, Holt says.

Selling the fiber

Perhaps the clearest signal that fiber is worth promoting was the Kellogg’s Raisin Bran ad during the Super Bowl that featured actor William Shatner promoting the cereal’s fiber content. It was the first time Kellogg had bought an ad during “the big game” in 15 years.

“The big game was an important cultural moment, but it is just one piece of a much broader effort,” Ludmer says. “We are building sustained visibility for fiber through multiple channels, including our Spoons on-pack communication to make nutrition benefits clearer, partnerships with health professionals and nutrition experts and content across social and digital platforms.”

Many other companies are putting a fresh marketing focus on their products’ fiber content. Like Kellogg, they are leaning into the health benefits.

For example, Mía’s Holt, who has backgrounds in marketing and medical education, created a TikTok account and other social media accounts to spread the message about her high-fiber shakes.

“The biggest thing for me is that this is a personal story,” Holt explains. “Mía means ‘mine’ in Spanish, and this was a love story to my own body, taking it back after all the things life threw at me. At the end of the day, I just want people to get more fiber.”

Rivalz’ marketing mixes health messages with enjoyment of the product. They promote their stuffed snacks on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram and with an “ambassador program” that rewards fans for promoting Rivalz on their own socials.

“Our marketing emphasizes both enjoyment and functionality,” Jerome says. “We talk about protein, fiber, satiety and more balanced nutrition, but we also focus heavily on flavor, crunch and overall eating experience. What we’ve found is that consumers respond best when health benefits are presented in a practical, approachable way rather than in an overly clinical or restrictive way.”

Whether a product is newly fiber-rich — like Danimals — or the marketing simply has been updated to emphasize that fact — as with Kellogg’s breakfast cereal — having good fiber content is a clear market advantage these days…not to mention that it evidently helps customers stay healthy.