High-fiber items can draw in health-minded consumers
An expert from Bay State Milling discusses solutions available to producers.
Foods rich in fiber are nothing new, especially not to producers in the bakery and snack fields. However, according to several trendspotters looking at current and emerging trends, fiber is about to have a moment.
In PepsiCo’s recent earnings call, CEO Ramon Laguarta predicted, “Fiber will be the next protein…Consumers are starting to understand that fiber is a benefit that they need. It’s actually a deficiency in U.S. consumers’ diet.”
What’s more, a report from CNBC last week discussed the booming trend of “fibermaxing,” or packing fiber into foods and beverages so consumers can fill up on the healthful ingredient; experts from Mintel, Datassential, and other entities all predict a coming fiber boom, advising producers to get on board (if they aren’t already).
Supplier Bay State Milling offers a number of products to bakery producers looking to up the fiber content of their new or existing products. SF&WB checked in with Colleen Zammer, VP of varietal solutions growth and corporate innovation with Bay State Milling to learn more.
JS: Could you please share an overview of Bay State Milling—feel free to share the company’s history, as well as an overview of the products and solutions you offer bakery producers.
Colleen Zammer: Bay State Milling is a fifth-generation, family-owned company that’s been serving or servicing the food industry since 1899. We started as a regional flour mill and have evolved into a broad-based ingredient company committed to improving the healthfulness of foods people eat every day. Our work spans traditional flour and grain products as well as innovative, nutrient-dense ingredients developed through plant breeding and food science.
For grain-based food manufacturers, we offer a portfolio that includes traditional wheat flours, ancient grains, gluten-free blends, and specialty ingredients, including HealthSense high-fiber wheat flour and SowNaked Mindfully Farmed oats. Everything we do is designed to help brands create products that deliver on taste, performance, and nutrition—without compromise.
JS: Then, let’s talk about HealthSense—when was this particular solution first launched, ingredients, what makes it special, and what products it might be best suited for?
CZ: We introduced HealthSense high-fiber wheat flour commercially in 2020 after more than a decade of research and development. It’s made from a proprietary variety of wheat bred to be rich in resistant starch—a type of dietary fiber that supports digestive and metabolic health.
What makes HealthSense unique is that it behaves just like traditional flour in bakery and snack food formulations but delivers up to an excellent source of fiber. There are no additives, no processing aids, and nothing genetically modified, just better wheat.
HealthSense works exceptionally well in foods where wheat is the hero ingredient and maintaining taste and texture is essential, such as breads, rolls, pizza crusts, tortillas, pasta, and snacks.
JS: Are there any challenges or considerations for bakers considering fitting HealthSense into new products, or maybe in reformulating existing items?
CZ: The beauty of HealthSense is that it performs much like conventional flour, and can be directly substituted for existing flour, so formulation challenges are minimal. That said, we recommend bakers consider three things:
- Have a clear goal for what you want to achieve with HealthSense to determine the optimal inclusion rate, i.e., a good source of fiber in a serving of bread.
- Hydration and mixing: HealthSense can absorb more water, so adjustments in dough absorption can optimize performance.
- Labeling and marketing: Because HealthSense is simply wheat flour with naturally higher fiber, it offers a clean label advantage—but bakers should think about how to communicate in a clear and compelling way.
Our team provides hands-on technical support to help partners reformulate with confidence, whether they’re optimizing for fiber content, glycemic response, or overall nutrition.
JS: What other high-fiber products, or other BFY-centric solutions, might be in the works at BSM?
CZ: We continue to explore ways to improve everyday foods through the power of plants. Beyond HealthSense Flour, our SowNaked Oats deliver exceptional protein nutrition, sustainability, and flavor in snack and bakery applications. They are safe for gluten-free consumers as well, as all of our oats are purity-protocol gluten-free.
Looking ahead, we’re focused on expanding access to nutrient-dense, clean-label ingredients that help close the fiber gap and advance food-as-health innovation. You’ll see more from us across categories like snacks, cereal, and better-for-you baked goods.
JS: Do you have any final thoughts?
CZ: At Bay State Milling, we view food as one of the most powerful tools for improving public health. The reality is that more than 90% of Americans don’t consume enough dietary fiber, yet most of that fiber could (and should) come from the foods people already love.
HealthSense is our answer to that challenge. By increasing fiber through better wheat, rather than reformulating with additives or changing consumer behavior, we can help close the fiber gap at scale. It’s agricultural innovation with massive public health potential.
We know that adequate fiber intake can positively impact our physical, mental, and gut health; getting more of it through the foods we love is truly a win-win.
Our goal is to make nutritious choices effortless and invisible: better-for-you foods that taste exactly the same as traditional foods. That’s how we believe real change happens, when better nutrition becomes part of everyday life, not through sacrifice.
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