Fibre is overtaking protein as the defining “better-for-you” claim in food, drink and supplements.

For the last ten years, protein was the default "better-for-you" claim. It turned up in water, ice cream, crisps, cereal and pasta. Brands that nailed their protein story took disproportionate market share. Fibre is now doing the same thing, only faster. For drinks, snack, supplement and wider health and wellness brands, the window to get properly positioned is already open.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Fibremaxxing is accelerating globally, and the GCC is the clearest near-term commercial window

  • Fibre is replacing protein as the dominant health claim across food, drink and supplements
  • Consumer search, category investment and retailer appetite are all accelerating at the same time
  • The Middle East is one of the fastest-growing and least-crowded fibre markets globally
  • Brands winning this category are specific about fibre type, format and route to market

57%

Rise in fibre searches on Ocado, year on year in 2025

60%

Of Gen Z consumers actively seeking high-fibre food and drink (Datassential)

$602m

Middle East and Africa dietary fibres market, forecast by 2028

01. Category shift

The category signal is as loud as the consumer one

Danone's acquisition of Huel, reported at around USD 1 billion, is a clear sign of how seriously the majors are taking this shift. Huel itself has built chicory root and oat beta-glucans into its meal replacements, putting fibre at the centre of its gut health and satiety positioning.

PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Olipop have all moved into prebiotic and fibre-led drinks. In the UK, functional shot brand Unrooted has just launched single-serve baobab powder sachets with 3.2g of fibre per 6g portion, aimed squarely at the fibremaxxing audience. Searches for the term "fibremaxxing" have passed 150 million views on social media, and Ocado reported a 57% year-on-year rise in fibre searches in 2025.

"When multinationals, challengers and DTC specialists all move the same way, it stops being a trend and starts being a category."

02. Durability

Why this trend has longer legs than most

Most food fads fade once the social cycle moves on. Fibre looks different, for three reasons.

01

GLP-1 alignment

Weight-loss drugs are reshaping how consumers think about food. Fibre's satiety, blood sugar and digestive benefits sit naturally alongside GLP-1 use and the post-GLP-1 focus on muscle and metabolism.

02

Medical backbone

Every major health authority endorses fibre. The NHS, WHO and US dietary guidelines recommend 30g a day, and consumers in most developed markets fall well short. That gap gives brands a permanent reason to exist.

03

Cross-category reach

Fibre works credibly in drinks, snacks, cereals, yoghurts, supplements, bakery and confectionery. That cross-category elasticity is exactly what retailers and investors look for.

03. Global outlook

A global opportunity, with real momentum in the Middle East

The fibre opportunity is not limited to one market, but the growth curves are not identical everywhere. Three regions stand out.

North America

Prebiotic drinks have gone from niche to mainstream in under five years. Olipop, Poppi and a wave of private label launches have forced space on main-aisle shelves, and the majors are now responding. PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Nestlé have all moved into prebiotic and fibre-led drinks in the last 18 months. US and Canadian category buyers are actively re-merchandising their functional sets, and DTC challengers are scaling quickly.

The Middle East

This is one of the most commercially interesting fibre markets right now, and one of the least crowded.

The Middle East and Africa dietary fibres market is forecast to reach USD 602 million by 2028. Saudi Arabia's dietary fibres market alone is projected to grow from USD 97.86 million in 2024 to USD 175.25 million by 2033, at a 6.71% CAGR. The UAE dietary supplements market is on track to hit USD 214.48 million by 2030, and Saudi Arabia's wider wellness ecosystem, covering supplements, fitness and preventive health, is estimated to approach USD 23 billion by 2025.

The drivers are structural rather than fashionable. A young, digitally fluent population, high rates of diabetes and obesity, rising disposable incomes and active government investment in preventive healthcare.

You could see this at Gulfood 2026, where protein and fibre were openly described as "the big two" categories. Local snack brand Inzi Eats was showing tortilla chips, chorritos and noodles with 30g of plant-based protein and 15g of fibre per 100g. Gut-friendly, low-FODMAP and functional ranges had visibly more shelf presence than in previous years.

For SME brands, the advantage is timing. Distributors, retailers and foodservice buyers across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC are already briefing for fibre-led NPD. The shelves are not yet crowded with UK or European entrants.

Europe and Asia-Pacific

Europe is moving too, with the UK and Germany leading on reformulation and NPD, and 78% of Western European consumers now viewing high-fibre claims positively. In Asia-Pacific, fibre is attaching itself to long-standing gut health traditions in Japan, Korea and China, where functional food credibility is already well established.

BOLST INSIGHT

The Middle East fibre opportunity looks textbook. The difference between the brands that capture it and the ones that don't will come down to timing. Gulf buyers are already briefing for fibre-led NPD. UK and European challengers that move now will land on shelf before the category gets crowded. The ones waiting to see how this plays out will be competing for the same listings in 18 months, against much bigger balance sheets.

04. What it means for brands

Three things that decide who wins this category

If you are a UK or European brand in drinks, snacks, health and wellness or supplements, three things matter right now.

Be specific about your fibre

"Source of fibre" is no longer enough. Consumers want the type, the grams per serving, and what it does. Prebiotic, soluble, inulin, psyllium, beta-glucans, baobab, chicory.

Format decides reach

Sachets, shots, RTDs and convenient daily formats are winning. Shoppers want fibre to fit their existing routines, not demand new ones.

Export with intent

Brands that build international distribution deliberately will shape the category. Those that wait will be playing catch-up by 2028, against better-resourced competitors.

FAQs

Common questions about fibremaxxing and fibre-led brand growth

Fibremaxxing is the consumer trend of deliberately maximising daily fibre intake through food, drinks and supplements. The hashtag has passed 150 million views on social media, and it is driving reformulation and NPD across almost every major food and drink category.

Fibre has the three ingredients that made protein dominate the 2010s: strong consumer awareness, a clear gap between recommended and actual intake, and proven cross-category versatility. Datassential and Innova Market Insights both report fibre overtaking protein as the defining health claim for 2026.

Prebiotic drinks, high-fibre snacks, sachets and powders, and supplements are leading. Meal replacements like Huel have built fibre into their core positioning. Functional shot brand Unrooted has just launched single-serve baobab powder sachets aimed at the fibremaxxing audience.

The GCC has a young, health-conscious population, rising supplement and wellness spend, and active government investment in preventive healthcare. Gulfood 2026 flagged fibre and protein as the two dominant categories this year. The market is growing fast and is currently underserved by UK and European entrants.

We work as the outsourced export arm for brands in food and drink, health and wellness, beauty and FMCG. That means validating the product fit by market, introducing you to the right distributors and buyers, building your trade show strategy around Gulfood, Anuga, SIAL and Vitafoods, and running the commercial negotiation, not just handing you a contact list.

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