MARKS & Spencer (M&S) has called on the UK Government to enable ‘simpler, consumer-friendly’ labelling on high-fibre products.
The retailer explained that, under current rules, the government restricts clear labelling around the benefits of fibre on pack to phrases such as ‘barley grain fibre contributes to an increase in faecal bulk’ or ‘wheat bran fibre contributes to an accelerated intestinal transit time’.
However, M&S has called on the UK Nutrition and Health Claims Committee, as well as the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, to ‘urgently review’ permitted fibre health claims – with a view to enabling simpler, consumer-friendly wording that reflects the latest scientific evidence and helps people make healthier choices.
The call comes amidst findings revealing that 96% of UK adults fall short of the recommended 30 grams of fibre per day, with most getting around half of what they need to support a healthy diet. M&S customer insight also shows that 92% of customers want to eat more fibre, but many do not know how to or why it matters.
Low fibre intake is linked to a number of health risks. Bowel cancer is now the fourth most common cancer in the UK; one person is diagnosed every 11 minutes and more than one in four cases are linked to low fibre intake, M&S said.
Alex Freudmann, MD of food at M&S, said, “Customers tell us they want to eat more fibre, but the current rules make it harder than it should be to explain the benefits in a simple, everyday way. We are transforming our ranges, making affordable fibre-rich foods easier to shop and raising awareness of the health benefits of fibre by working with Bowel Cancer UK, but we need the rules to catch up. This is a practical, evidence-based change that could help millions of people make healthier choices and support the Government’s prevention agenda.”
Dr Anisha Patel, survivor and Bowel Cancer UK ambassador, added, “Every day, I see how much of our ill health is driven by preventable disease, yet many people are still unaware of just how important fibre is for their long-term health. A diet rich in fibre is associated with a lower risk of bowel cancer. Around 1 in 3 preventable bowel cancer cases are linked to a low-fibre diet, making fibre one of the simplest and most effective ways we can reduce cancer risk. If we are serious about improving the nation’s health, we need to make healthy choices easier, and that starts with using language people actually understand.
“I wholeheartedly support M&S’s campaign to modernise fibre health messaging. Giving retailers the ability to communicate the benefits of fibre in plain English is a simple, practical, evidence-based change that could help millions of people make more informed food choices. Better understanding leads to better choices, and better choices lead to better health. If we can help more people increase their fibre intake, we have a real opportunity to reduce the burden of preventable disease, improve quality of life and ease pressure on our NHS.”
