Key takeaways
- Oatly has launched a fibre-focused oat milk range across the UK and several European markets.
- The company believes fibre is a more natural nutrition platform for oat milk than protein fortification.
- Oatly says low fibre intake, rather than protein deficiency, represents the bigger opportunity for consumer health.
Swedish oat milk major Oatly has introduced a wide variety of format and flavour innovations in recent years, from plant-based milk for automatic coffee machines to café-inspired ranges that tap into current consumer trends.
For brands in this space, product innovation has hardly been the issue. If there is criticism, it is frequently aimed at the nutritional value of plant-based drinks, particularly when compared with dairy milk.
While perceptions have evolved somewhat in recent years, with many households that buy traditional milk also increasingly purchasing plant-based alternatives, suggesting consumers recognise the distinct value each category offers, nutrition remains the sector’s Achilles heel.
With high-protein diets on the rise, plant-based drinks brands such as Danone-owned Silk have launched dedicated protein ranges, while also addressing a gap in the market for non-dairy protein products.
But another megatrend is now playing to the strengths of dairy alternatives: fibre.
In the US, brands such as Maizly, the corn-based, barista-friendly drinks company, have embraced the fibre trend, while the likes of Plenish and So Good have also introduced fibre-fortified products.
Now, Oatly has joined the conversation. With oatmilk already containing more natural fibre than dairy milk, why did the brand decide to introduce a dedicated range rather than simply lean more heavily into on-pack claims?
“Oats naturally contain fibre, and fibre has always been one of the nutritional attributes of oat drinks,” said Kate Overy, registered nutritionist and nutrition science & communications lead at Oatly. “Our conventional Barista Edition provides 2g of fibre per 250ml serving, and earlier this year we refreshed the labelling across our blue range, including Semi, Whole and No Sugars, to make fibre easier to spot and understand on pack.
“As for why we’re introducing these new products, fibre is an important part of a balanced diet, yet most people are not getting enough.
“In the UK, only 4% of adults meet the recommended adequate intake of 30g of fibre per day, while average intake among adults aged 19 to 64 is just 16.4g per day, leaving a daily fibre gap of 13.6g. Closing that gap requires action across the whole diet, and greater availability of fibre-rich foods and drinks can play a role in helping people increase their intake.”
Changing the ingredient balance may present formulation challenges, however. How did the company balance nutritional functionality and taste during product development?
“Whenever you’re increasing fibre in a product, it’s important that the additional nutrition doesn’t come at the expense of the experience people expect from it,” said Overy. “For Fibre Barista Edition in particular, that meant ensuring it continued to perform well in coffee, while Fibre Low-Cal Edition needed to remain versatile and easy to incorporate into everyday routines.”
And while the fibre gap is clear, are shoppers interested in closing it by choosing products with fibre claims? According to Overy, fibremaxxing, the social media trend encouraging consumers to increase their fibre intake to 30g or even 40g per day, has already had an impact on consumption patterns. But that’s not the whole story.
“For us, fibre has never been just a trend, but we’re really glad to see awareness of its health benefits grow both in the UK and globally,” she said. “Good nutrition is about overall dietary quality rather than any single nutrient.
“Dietary studies suggest most of us are already getting more protein than we need, while fibre is one of the most commonly under-consumed nutrients across many populations. That’s why we’ve chosen to focus on making it easier for people to increase their fibre intake through simple, everyday habits.”
Oatly’s new range is being rolled out in the UK and is also available in the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, France, Germany and Austria, with further markets to follow in due course.
For plant-based drinks brands, the broader takeaway may be that there’s a real consumer health opportunity to capitalise on.
