Although Americans consider digestive health as a top health priority in 2012, most people eat only half of the daily recommended amount of fiber, according to a new report — “Fiber Food Ingredients in the U.S.; Soluble, Insoluble and Digestive-Resistant Types” — from the Packaged Facts division of Rockville, Md.-based MarketResearch.com.

“Current fiber intakes remain alarmingly low, with less than 3 percent of all Americans meeting recommended intakes, and Americans averaging only about half the amount recommended for overall good health and cancer protection,” said David Sprinkle, research director, Packaged Facts.

Despite the low consumption, Sprinkle added, the majority of Americans are aware of the role of fiber in weight management and in maintaining a healthy digestive system.

“To maintain a leading share of bread product sales, and to cater to nutrition-savvy consumers seeking premium products, private label marketers should increasingly look beyond white ‘soft breads’ to whole grain and fiber-enriched breads,” he told Private Label => Store Brands. More than 50 different fiber food ingredients are currently available for food formulators, spurring food manufacturers, including retailers and private label suppliers, to introduce fiber-enhanced products to a market that is still in its infancy and has room to grow.

Sprinkle, however, cautioned that food companies should be careful as to which fibers they use in their products.

“In weighing the use of polydextrose or other synthetic fibers, private label marketers should note that consumer activist groups have repeatedly criticized use of polydextrose as a fiber source, calling it ‘fake fiber,’” he explained. “This criticism has made label-reading and ‘clean label’ shoppers wary of this ingredient.”

— S. Malovany