What is Fibre Enrichment?

European starch producers work with food manufacturers to make food products healthier and more nutritious.

Fibre enrichment is a process through which extra fibres are added to the food products to make them more nutritious. This is often part of a general reformulation of recipes, alongside changes to reduce sugar and/or calorie content.

From a technical perspective, adding fibres when reducing sugars in a recipe, may impact the texture of the food, while providing a solution that is lower in calories (fibres 2 kcal/g vs 4 kcal/g for starch and sugars). Importantly, the addition of fibre also helps consumers reach their healthy dietary goals.

The general recommendation (notably, recommended by the European Food Safety Agency) is to consume 25-30g of fibre per day. Most people consume much less, creating a so-called fibre gap. Fibre enrichment can therefore help raise the consumption levels of fibres, and close this fibre gap.