- M&S, nutritionist Emily English and Dr Anisha Patel are calling for a review of permitted fibre health claims, so retailers can explain the benefits of fibre in clearer, everyday language.
- M&S wants to switch government-approved words like “faecal bulk” and “intestinal transit” with simple phrases like “improves gut health”.
- According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, 96% of UK adults consume less than the recommended 30g of fibre a day*, while 92% of M&S customers say they want to eat more fibre**.
- This builds on M&S Food’s Better with Beans campaign with Bowel Cancer UK, including a £50,000 donation to the charity and a transformation of the beans and pulses range starting from 55p.
- M&S has committed to increasing sales of affordable store cupboard bean products by 15% by 2028, helping customers add more affordable, fibre-rich foods to everyday meals.
Marks & Spencer has joined Nutritionist Emily English and Dr Anisha Patel to write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, calling for a practical change to the rules around fibre health claims, as current regulations make it harder for retailers to talk to customers clearly about one of the UK’s most significant nutrition gaps.
Despite clear public health advice that adults should consume 30g of fibre a day, 96% of UK adults are falling short with most getting about half of what they need to support a healthy diet. M&S customer insight also shows that 92% of customers want to eat more fibre, but many do not know how to do so or why it matters.
Under current rules, the Government restrict clear labelling around the benefits of fibre on pack to phrases such as “barley grain fibre contributes to an increase in faecal bulk” or “wheat bran fibre contributes to an accelerated intestinal transit time”.
M&S is asking the UK Nutrition and Health Claims Committee and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition to urgently review permitted fibre health claims, with a view to enabling simpler, consumer-friendly wording that reflects the latest scientific evidence and helps people make healthier choices.
Low fibre intake is linked to a number of health risks. Bowel cancer is now the fourth most common cancer in the UK; one person is diagnosed every 11 minutes and more than one in four cases are linked to low fibre intake***. The disease affects more than 48,000 people each year, including a growing number under 50, and costs the economy more than £1 billion annually****.
The letter builds on M&S Food’s position as the leading retailer for healthy choices and the Better with Beans campaign, launched to help customers understand the role fibre plays in a healthy diet. As part of the campaign, M&S has refreshed its beans and pulses range and donated £50,000 to Bowel Cancer UK. Chickpeas, green lentils, butter beans and kidney beans start from just 55p in glass jars.
Alex Freudmann, Managing Director of Food at M&S, said: “Customers tell us they want to eat more fibre, but the current rules make it harder than it should be to explain the benefits in a simple, everyday way. We are transforming our ranges, making affordable fibre-rich foods easier to shop and raising awareness of the health benefits of fibre by working with Bowel Cancer UK, but we need the rules to catch up. This is a practical, evidence-based change that could help millions of people make healthier choices and support the Government’s prevention agenda.”
Emily English, nutritionist and food journalist, said: “Fibre is one of the simplest ways we can support our long-term health, but too many people still see it as complicated or confusing. Being able to talk about fibre in normal language would make it easier for people to understand why it matters and how small, affordable swaps - like adding beans and pulses to meals - can make a real difference.”
Dr Anisha Patel, survivor and Bowel Cancer UK Ambassador, said: “Every day, I see how much of our ill health is driven by preventable disease, yet many people are still unaware of just how important fibre is for their long-term health. A diet rich in fibre is associated with a lower risk of bowel cancer. Around 1 in 3 preventable bowel cancer cases are linked to a low-fibre diet, making fibre one of the simplest and most effective ways we can reduce cancer risk. If we are serious about improving the nation’s health, we need to make healthy choices easier, and that starts with using language people actually understand.
I wholeheartedly support M&S’s campaign to modernise fibre health messaging. Giving retailers the ability to communicate the benefits of fibre in plain English is a simple, practical, evidence-based change that could help millions of people make more informed food choices. Better understanding leads to better choices, and better choices lead to better health. If we can help more people increase their fibre intake, we have a real opportunity to reduce the burden of preventable disease, improve quality of life and ease pressure on our NHS.”
M&S has been helping customers make healthier choices through its Eat Well proposition for more than 20 years, with more than 1,800 Eat Well products across its Foodhalls.
ENDS
* OHID “National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019-2023: Report”, UK Government, London, 2025
**BOUNCE Insights, 2025