One of the hottest new trends facing Canada’s food service industry is a growing demand for more fibre and protein.

So how are quick-service restaurants reacting to the new trend? FoodNX recently spoke with an industry veteran who is seeing the trend from the front lines.

“I think consumers today are looking for food that works harder for them and lasts longer. They want something that gives them energy and they stay full longer. Protein helps support and maintain your muscle and it keeps you full,” Jason Baker, director of culinary and executive chef at Freshii, said in an interview with FoodNX.

The Toronto-based company started in 2005, and today offers a selection of new options that include a boost in fibre and protein from its more than 300 locations worldwide. Its menu includes health-based meals such as salads, wraps and bowls, along with fruit smoothies.

“High protein, medium carbs, and medium fats, all balanced across the board, so that you’re getting a balanced nutrition with recognizable ingredients,” Baker said.

Quest for even more protein

Fifty-four per cent of Canadians and Americans are actively searching out more protein in their diets, according to Innova Research. This trend also helps explains why global whey protein is scarce, as producers are adding it to many other foods.

Today, this demand is also being pushed by online influencers who are trumpeting the health effects.

“Fibremaxxing is really big now on social, and overloading on your fibre is keeping you full faster. It’s helping your digestive health. It’s helping you sustain more energy throughout the day, and it’s giving more nutrients over the course of a day,” Baker said.

Offering more functional foods is not that difficult to do but restaurants must modify certain ingredients to offer the best nutritional bang for the buck, according to Baker.

“It’s sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. It’s brown rice instead of white rice. It’s looking at more pickled options that are better for your gut. It’s looking at high-density lean proteins, so that you’re getting more out of your meals.”

Baker, who has more than 30 years experience in the food industry, and has also worked in the past as a professional bodybuilder, said it’s often hard to find good options on the run.

“There’s no real healthy options, and one of the biggest things that we wanted to bring to the market is more healthy options that are high-protein, high-fibre; all encompassing in macro(nutrients), so that people can eat healthy on the fly, on the run, and not have to buy a cheeseburger,” Baker said.

Macronutrients can be defined as what the body needs in higher amounts, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and water. Vitamins and minerals are considered micronutrients, according to Concordia University, and are needed in lower quantities.

Need for stronger world tastes

In addition to protein and fibre trends, consumers are looking for more of a global flavour profile, he said.

“People are asking for more spice in a lot of their meals today, so we’ve increased our spice options as well. We’re definitely tapping into more Korean; more of the Asian style. With gut health, we’re adding kimchi, we’re adding miso; more flavour, and a little bit more spice.”

As more people also get into the various new weight-loss drugs, this has also caused restaurants to adapt.

When he joined Freshii in February 2025 — which is owned by parent company Foodtastic — he looked at some U.S. research around this type of drug usage.

“GLP-1 was starting to be huge . . . almost 12 per cent of the American population was on a GLP-1 or Ozempic, and they noticed almost a 35-per-cent trend in dieting habits: switching to higher protein, less carbs, less fats.”

Those who take the drugs often feel poorly after consuming too much carbohydrates or fat, but that doesn’t mean they can’t eat.

“You need to stay with high protein, because when you’re on a GLP-1, you’re burning fat and that is taking away all your cravings of any other sweets or anything like that,” Baker said.

“You want to make sure that your body’s not eating itself, so you need to make sure that you’re consuming a right amount of protein.”