According to data to be presented over the next few days by ingredient firm Tate & Lyle, 62 percent of Latin Americans and 56 percent of US consumers say it is important to add fiber into their diets, compared to only 40 percent of Europeans.
Based on interviews with consumers in the three regions, as well as Asia, the findings are being presented today and tomorrow at the International Dietary Fiber Conference in Vienna, Austria.
Tate & Lyle said it spoke with nearly 14,000 consumers in the US, Latin America (Mexico and Brazil), Europe (UK, France and Germany) and Asia. The research is a blend of quantitative and qualitative data.
Low intake levels
According to David Lewis, business development manager for the company’s Promitor dietary fiber ingredient, a number of key findings stood out for consumers around the world, despite differences in geographical locations.
He told NutraIngredients-USA.com this morning that fiber consumption is lower than it should be in all regions. In the US, the daily recommended intake for fiber is 25-38g, whereas the actual intake is 14g.
European data reveals similar trends. In France, the DRI is 25-30g, whereas actual intake is 17-21g. In Germany, DRI is 30g and intake levels are 21-24g. In the UK, DRI is 18g and intake is 12-15g.
Health awareness
However, the majority of consumers reported that they think about eating healthier than they did two years ago (65, 69 and 64 percent respectively for the US, Latin America and Europe respectively).
When it comes to fiber consumption, consumers in Latin America were the most clued-in. Some 62 percent said it was important to add more fiber into their diets, closely followed by 56 percent of US consumers. In contrast, only 40 percent of Europeans agreed with the need for more fiber.
Similarly, when it came to their children’s diets, 83 percent of Latin American parents noted the importance of fiber, compared to 66 percent of Americans and 69 percent of Europeans.
Fiber presentations
A number of Tate & Lyle fiber experts will be presenting these research findings at the conference today and tomorrow. Presentations include:
- Sandra Einerhand, PhD, director, Health & Nutrition Sciences, Europe, will present, “Health Benefits of Soluble Fibers and New European Food and Beverage Opportunities” as a part of the ‘Prebiotics’ seminar.
- Victoria Betteridge, group manager, Regulatory Affairs, will present, “Consumer Perceptions of Dietary Fiber from Europe, the Americas and Asia.”
- Sandra Einerhand, Phd, director, Health & Nutrition Sciences, Europe, will co-chair the “Health Benefits and their Mechanisms” session.
- Eddie Deaville, PhD, senior research fellow, Reading University, will present “The Impact of Dose Level of Soluble Fiber on Prebiotic Induced Changes in the Human Gut Microbiota” on behalf of Tate & Lyle’s Global Health & Nutrition Sciences team and its focus on dietary fiber.