Fiber is taking center stage—and plant-based meat is ready

Special thanks to GFI’s Startup Innovation Lead Pat McAuley, Senior Consumer Research Lead Taylor Leet-Otley, and Content Specialist Chelsea Hammersmith for their contributions to this piece.

“I think fiber will be the next protein,” PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta contended during an earnings call in Q4 last year.

“Consumers are starting to understand that fiber is the benefit that they need. It’s actually a deficiency in U.S. consumers’ diets, and that will be elevated.”

That idea has moved quickly from nutrition circles into the mainstream. Major food executives are signaling a shift: if protein defined the last decade of food innovation, fiber may define the next. Consumers are increasingly seeking foods that support gut health, satiety, and long-term wellness—and they’re becoming more receptive to products that deliver functional benefits alongside great taste.

We’ve already seen this play out in unexpected ways. In recent years, consumers have embraced a surprising fiber-enhanced product: soda. With the right positioning, even indulgent, familiar categories can evolve into vehicles for beneficial nutrients.

So here’s the question plant-based meat companies should be asking: if consumers now expect fiber from their beverages, why wouldn’t they expect it from meat—especially plant-based meat?

New research from GFI shows that digestive health ranks among the top three health priorities consumers consider when choosing foods. According to IFIC, fiber is the second-most sought-after nutrient among Americans, right behind protein.

Yet, nearly three in four consumers don’t currently consider fiber very important when choosing meat (plant-based or conventional).

Perceptions drive this gap. When people think about meat, they think of protein. Fiber, on the other hand, tends to be associated with foods like whole grains, beans, and produce.

Gut health is a top priority for consumers, but 3 in 4 don’t think about fiber when it comes to choosing meat (plant-based or otherwise) today.

Consumers also lack a clear understanding of what “good” fiber intake actually looks like in practice. GFI research found that even health-conscious eaters have inconsistent and often unrealistic benchmarks for what qualifies as high fiber, making it difficult to prioritize intentionally.

Fiber isn’t an add-on or a functional afterthought in plant-based meat—it’s generally intrinsic to the ingredients themselves. Because these products are made from plants, many naturally deliver meaningful amounts of fiber. Conventional meat, on the other hand, contains none.

That difference enables something powerful: fiber becomes a default, not a deliberate choice.

Consumers don’t have to learn new recipes or radically rethink their eating habits to get more fiber. By choosing plant-based versions of familiar favorites—burgers, sausages, nuggets, cutlets—they can boost their fiber intake without changing how they eat.

This matters because while health is a strong motivator, changing food habits can still feel difficult. Products that deliver health benefits in familiar formats can help reduce friction, and plant-based meat offers a simple, seamless way to access fiber.

In the first Substack in this series, we focused on protein—and for good reason. Protein is the number-one nutrient consumers pay attention to, and GFI’s new data also shows that many people still underestimate how much protein plant-based meat delivers.

Fiber doesn’t compete with that story. It strengthens it.

Plant-based meat offers something conventional meat cannot: the protein consumers expect, plus fiber to support gut health—without the saturated fat and cholesterol that often come with animal meat. Our research shows that consumers who associate plant-based meat with positive health attributes spend more on it, suggesting that clearer nutrition narratives can translate directly into purchasing behavior.

The challenge is awareness. Many consumers simply don’t think about fiber in the context of “meat” and don’t realize that plant-based meat delivers both protein and fiber—and that it can help them meet health goals they already say they care about.

Fiber may not overtake protein as a consumer priority, but it’s becoming an increasingly important part of how consumers define “healthy.” Plant-based meat has an opportunity to lead in this next phase, not by asking consumers to change their behavior, but by helping them see what’s already on their plate in a new way.

For plant-based food manufacturers and brands, fiber represents an underleveraged growth opportunity. Educating consumers that plant-based meat is a good source of fiber—and uniquely positioned to support gut health—may help drive trial and higher spend. While taste and price are table stakes for plant-based products, health anchors the value proposition for consumers.

The goal isn’t to replace protein as the headline nutrient. It’s to expand the story—positioning plant-based meat as a more complete nutrition package.