DECATUR, ILL. — Consumers today are looking for more benefits from fiber than just regularity, according to Tate & Lyle.

"Boosting fiber content in foods and beverages can help companies meet consumer demand for healthy foods and beverages," said Harvey Chimoff, director of marketing in the Americas for Tate & Lyle. "Tate & Lyle’s new consumer research provides important insights on how to communicate with consumers and market the benefits of fiber across thirty-three product segments."

The company found 34% of consumers said they are most interested in buying fruit juice with an "excellent source of fiber" label claim, and 36% of consumers are most interested in purchasing fiber-enhanced cookies with an "excellent source of fiber" statement on the label. In addition, 37% of consumers said they are most interested in purchasing pre-made pudding containing an "excellent source of fiber" label claim.

Also, 60% of consumers rely on labels for indications if a product is healthy, with 45% of consumers trusting on-pack information and 50% agreeing they read labels when they are looking to add a nutrient to their diet. Tate & Lyle found 55% of consumers find "supports a healthy immune system" claims are appealing on bottled water, and 60% of consumers believe "excellent source of fiber" claims on yogurt labels are appealing. In addition, nearly 80% of consumers believe "promotes healthy digestion" on yogurt is appealing, and more than 50% of consumers find powdered soft drink labels with "an excellent source of fiber" claim to be appealing. Seventy per cent of consumers find "helps manage your weigh" claims to be appealing on powdered soft drink labels.

In terms of nutrition for children, almost 70% of parents believe fiber is an important part of a child’s diet, 6 out of 10 parents said fiber is useful to help maintain or control children’s health, and 35% of parents believe consuming products with fiber helps children with digestion.