One of the many hot takes of consulting firms is that "fibre is the next protein”. The CEO of one of the world's biggest food and beverage firms repeated this claim early this year.

But it is consumers, not CEOs nor consultants nor astrologers, who decide the future. And right now they're showing no sign of agreeing with the hot takes.

At NNB we've been closely monitoring consumer beliefs and behaviours around fibre for three decades. Fibre's big growth period was from the late 1980s to the first decade of this century. Major brands emerged, such as Fiber One. Since then consumer interest has plateaued.

In the countries we regularly survey, 30% of people say in 2026 that they are trying to get more fibre in their diet. This is a slight increase on previous years – back in 2020 it was 29%.

Among the 25- to 34-year-old age group interest in fibre did spike in 2025, with the percentages who said they were trying to consume more fibre as follows:
- 27.5% in 2024
- 33.8% in 2025
- 30% in 2026

Of course, 2025 was the year that fibre got its "fibermaxxing" moment on social media. That hasn't been sustained and in 2026 interest has dropped back. That's not surprising - fibre lacks the breadth of benefits that people associate with protein, such as the connection to sports, fitness, weight management and generally having a better body. Compared to protein it's the boring, un-sporty cousin with a bad haircut.

Fibre is most beloved of seniors, as it always has been. In 2026 35.2% of the  65+ age-group say they are consuming more fibre, the highest number of any age group. That makes sense as people's digestive systems become more challenged as they age.

Fibre is a great "health halo' reassurance ingredient and it plays an important role in health. But if it is ever to rival protein, it needs a serious make-over to lose its boring, non-sporty and worthy image.