Food brands chase fibermaxxing trend with new high-fiber products
Workers are suspended on a Pepsi sign on a building outside of Allegiant Stadium ahead of LVIII in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., February 9, 2024.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
One of this year’s top food trends is facing some tough competition.
Protein captivated consumers and food companies in 2025, but fiber is increasingly stealing the scene as people place an increasing emphasis on promoting gut health.
It’s taken hold on social media, where “fibermaxxing” — or the concept of increasing fiber intake through whole foods like fruits and legumes — has seen thousands of posts.
“Fiber is finally getting a spotlight, which is a great thing because it’s a nutrient that people need,” said Stephanie Mattucci, principal strategist at food research company Mintel.
Currently, 90% of women and 97% of men in the U.S. are not meeting their daily fiber requirements, Mattucci said. For most Americans, that recommended range usually falls somewhere between 25 grams and 38 grams of fiber per day, she added.
But more people are beginning to take notice of those gaps.
According to Mattucci, 22% of consumers in the U.S. said high fiber content was one of their top three important factors when shopping for food — up from just 17% in 2021.
Wall Street’s companies are taking note, too. On an earnings call with analysts in October, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said fiber was emerging at the forefront of the company’s product goals as it looked ahead to 2026.
“I think fiber will be the next protein,” Laguarta said. “Consumers are starting to understand that fiber is the benefit that they need. It’s actually an efficiency in U.S. consumers’ diets, and that will be elevated.”
In February, the company is going a step farther and plans to launch Smartfood Fiber Pop, featuring six grams of protein per serving, and SunChips Fiber, incorporating fiber variants like whole grains and black beans, Pepsi’s chief science officer, Tara Glasgow, told CNBC exclusively.
Smartfood Fiber Pop and Sun Chips Fiber snacks.
Source: Pepsico
And there’s a reason companies are broadening their offerings. Research firm Datassential found that fiber is on track to be the “next big health trend following on the heels of protein” in its 2026 trends report.
Of the consumers the firm surveyed, 54% said they are interested in foods and beverages that are high in fiber. That number is even higher — reaching 60% — among members of Generation Z, who are pioneering the “fibermaxxing” trend on social media.
And 42% of consumers said they believe the attribute of “high fiber” on a nutrition label of any food or beverage product is important to defining that product as “healthy,” according to Datassential.
It’s that momentum that landed fiber as one of Whole Foods Market’s top trends for 2026.
The gut health craze
Watching fiber intake isn’t new, experts note, but it’s often been associated with older people who require it for health reasons as they age.
“When I think of fiber, I immediately think of my grandfather. Every day, he had his little baggie of All-Bran, and he brought it everywhere he went, probably out of necessity,” Mintel’s Mattucci said, citing the slowing of digestive tracts as people age.
Still, something has shifted as consumers of all ages have started placing more emphasis on promoting gut health and digestive wellness — and fiber entered the spotlight.
The emphasis on diversity of fiber intake and finding it in everyday whole foods rather than through supplements or powders is part of what’s allowing it to find popularity and align with current culture, according to Angela Salas, a senior dietitian at the University of California, Davis.
The two types of fiber — soluble and insoluble — work together to keep people fuller for longer, improve digestion, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol, Salas said. In some ways, fiber could mimic the effects of weight-loss drugs because it takes longer to break down food and therefore sits in the stomach for longer, she said, which could be a factor for its recent popularity.
“These nutrients have always been around and always kind of shifts, I think, from the food industry saying, ‘What can we highlight? What do people want to be focusing on so that we can continue to sell the same product, just slightly altered?'” Salas said.
Still, Kate Pelletier, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the University of Michigan Health, said it’s important to note that fiber is not sufficient as an alternative to GLP-1 drugs, and a balanced plate is the best way to stay healthy.
Pelletier said fiber’s use as a “street sweeper” for the body is likely one of the reasons it’s been thrust back into the spotlight.
“There’s been a really big shift into more natural plants instead of popping a supplement or using a protein powder,” Pelletier said. “We…
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