Dietary Fibre
Definition
The portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely broken down by human digestive enzymes. It is an optional but commonly declared nutrient on Australian nutrition information panels.
Key Takeaways
- •Dietary fibre is optional on Australian NIPs under FSANZ Standard 1.2.8, but must be declared if a fibre claim is made
- •Total dietary fibre is the sum of insoluble and soluble fibre — both can be listed separately as sub-rows if desired
- •The FSANZ conversion factor for fibre energy is 8 kJ/g for calculating the energy row in the NIP
- •A 'good source of fibre' nutrition content claim requires at least 4 g of dietary fibre per serving
- •Fibre content is typically determined by AOAC 985.29 laboratory analysis, not calculated from composition databases alone
Regulatory Source
- Standard 1.2.8— Nutrition information requirements — dietary fibre is mandatory in the NIP when a fibre claim is made; otherwise declared at manufacturer discretion
Last verified against current standards: April 2026
Regulatory authority: Food Standards Australia New Zealand
What is Dietary Fibre?
Dietary fibre in a Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) refers to the total of insoluble and soluble non-digestible carbohydrates that resist absorption in the human small intestine. Under FSANZ Standard 1.2.8, dietary fibre is an optional NIP nutrient — it does not have to be declared on every NIP. However, if a fibre claim is made on the pack (e.g. "high in fibre", "good source of fibre"), dietary fibre becomes mandatory and must be declared on the NIP.
The distinction is practical: if your label makes no claim about fibre content, you do not need to test and declare fibre. If you make a claim, you do, and it must be supported by analytical testing.
Dietary Fibre Measurement and Labelling
Dietary fibre is measured using approved AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists) methods such as AOAC 985.29 (total dietary fibre) or AOAC 991.43. The analytical result (in grams per 100g or per serving) is then entered into the NIP.
If dietary fibre is declared, it typically appears as a row in the "carbohydrates" section of the NIP, below total carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates 15g 6%
Sugars 3g
Dietary Fibre 2g
Under Standard 1.2.8, dietary fibre can be declared on a voluntary basis even without a claim — some manufacturers choose to do so to highlight the nutritional benefit of their product.
Dietary Fibre in Practice for Australian Food Manufacturers
When must you declare dietary fibre? Only when: (1) you make a fibre-related claim on the pack, or (2) you choose to declare it voluntarily. Otherwise, it remains optional.
Common scenarios:
- No fibre claim, no declaration: A regular biscuit with no nutritional claims does not need to declare fibre.
- Voluntary declaration: A wholemeal biscuit with no specific fibre claim may choose to voluntarily declare fibre to support perceived healthiness.
- Claim trigger: Any pack statement including "high fibre", "good source of fibre", "contains fibre", or nutrient content claims mentioning fibre triggers the mandatory declaration requirement.
Worked example: A Queensland snack manufacturer produces two granola bars: one regular, one "high in fibre". For the regular bar, they do not declare fibre on the NIP. For the high-fibre bar, they have analytical testing showing 6g fibre per bar (based on AOAC 985.29) and declare it on the NIP to support the claim.
How Batchbase Calculates Dietary Fibre
If you declare dietary fibre on your NIP, you need an analytical result for your specific product formulation. Batchbase stores this data at the recipe level and uses it when generating the NIP for products made from that recipe. If your formulation changes, you should re-test fibre content to ensure accuracy.
Related Standards and References
- FSANZ Standard 1.2.8 — Nutrition information requirements (dietary fibre declaration)
- AOAC Method 985.29 — Total dietary fibre in foods (analytical method)
- FSANZ food standards code
Related Terms
Energy (kJ)
The measure of energy content in food, expressed in kilojoules (kJ) in Australia. Calculated from the amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, and alcohol in a food product.
Nutrition Information Panel
A mandatory table on packaged food labels in Australia displaying the average quantity of energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, and sodium per serve and per 100g or 100mL.