Parents of a child with coeliac disease
If your child’s lunchbox must be strictly gluten-free, your priority is to check that the specific product you buy is labelled ‘gluten-free’. Don’t assume it’s suitable simply because it contains coconut.
Who should choose a coconut product?
Parents managing multiple dietary restrictions
If your child also needs to avoid certain ingredients, check the full ingredients list. Coconut drinks can contain a blend of different plant ingredients, as you can see from Carrefour Bio coconut and Alpro Matcha Coco.
Parents preparing homemade recipes
For a sauce or dessert made in advance, culinary coconut milk is designed for a different purpose than a drink. Compare the nutritional information and follow the storage instructions for the product you choose.
What should you check?
Culinary coconut milk
Choose it for: adding coconut to a recipe prepared for the lunchbox, after checking for a ‘gluten-free’ label if needed.
Bear in mind: it’s used as an ingredient, so portions and nutritional information should be considered separately from those of a drink.
Coconut drink
Choose it for: serving with a meal, provided the specific product meets your child’s dietary requirements.
Bear in mind: it may contain other plant ingredients, and it isn’t the same as culinary coconut milk in either use or nutritional content.
| What matters | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free suitability | The ‘gluten-free’ label on the pack you buy and the ingredients list. | If my child needs to avoid gluten strictly, I can’t rely on coconut being the only ingredient. Around 42% of consumers put this check first. |
| Other ingredients | Highlighted allergens and added ingredients, as well as the requirements in the child’s individual care plan (PAI), if they have one. | If my child has multiple dietary restrictions, I need to check the full ingredients list before choosing a drink or an ingredient. This is the main consideration for around 33% of consumers. |
| Use in the lunchbox | Whether it’s described as a ‘culinary aid’ or a ‘drink’, its nutritional information and storage instructions. | Whether I’m making a recipe or packing a drink with a meal, I first look for the right format for that use, once I’ve checked any dietary restrictions. This comes first for around 25% of consumers. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Assuming ‘coconut’ means ‘gluten-free’
For coeliac disease, the French Directorate-General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) highlights the importance of strictly avoiding gluten. An ingredient’s name alone doesn’t confirm that the finished product is suitable.
Choose a product labelled ‘gluten-free’ and check the packaging again every time you buy it.
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Confusing culinary coconut milk with a coconut drink
Carrefour’s product pages describe Sensation coconut milk and Carrefour Bio coconut drink as having different formulations and uses. The quantity used in a recipe isn’t automatically suitable as a drink served with a meal.
Choose according to how you plan to use it, then compare the ingredients, nutritional information and storage instructions on each pack.
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Checking only one dietary restriction
Carrefour’s product page describes Alpro Matcha Coco as gluten-free, but it also contains soya. A gluten-related label doesn’t address a soya restriction.
Check all ingredients and allergens relevant to your child. If their school meals are covered by an individual care plan (PAI), follow the adjustments set out in it.
Brands to consider, depending on the product
Carrefour
Carrefour’s product pages feature both Sensation culinary coconut milk and Carrefour Bio coconut drink. The first thing to consider is how you plan to use the product.
- Sensation culinary coconut milk lists a blend of 60% coconut extract and water. Its product page shows a ‘gluten-free’ label, which you should check on the pack you buy.
- Carrefour Bio coconut drink contains ingredients including rice starch and pea protein. Check its gluten-related labelling and ingredients separately before choosing it for a strict diet.
Alpro
Matcha Coco is an example of a drink that combines coconut with other ingredients, rather than a culinary coconut milk.
- Carrefour’s product page describes this product as gluten-free.
- It contains soya and matcha, so check that these are suitable for your child’s dietary restrictions and school requirements. These details don’t apply to the entire Alpro range.
Bjorg
The Bjorg coconut drink listed on Carrefour is made to be consumed as a drink, rather than to match the composition of culinary coconut milk.
- Its product page lists ingredients including water, coconut, coconut water and rice starch.
- If your child needs to avoid gluten strictly, check for a ‘gluten-free’ label on the pack you buy.
Coconut products available on Joybuy
These two products suit different lunchbox needs: Kara coconut milk for cooking, and Alpro Matcha Coco drink to serve with a meal. Before giving either to a child with coeliac disease, check for a ‘gluten-free’ label on the pack you receive.
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Kara Organic Coconut Milk UHT 17% Fat, 200 ml
A culinary coconut milk to consider for a recipe prepared for the lunchbox. The stated pack size is 200 ml. Check the packaging for a ‘gluten-free’ label, fat content and storage instructions after opening.
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ALPRO Matcha coconut, 1 L
A coconut-based drink to serve with a meal, rather than as a substitute for culinary coconut milk. This product contains soya and matcha, so check that they’re suitable for your child’s dietary requirements. Also check the pack for a ‘gluten-free’ label and storage instructions. The stated pack size is 1 L.
Frequently asked questions
Is coconut milk automatically gluten-free?
No. The fact that it’s made with coconut doesn’t, by itself, guarantee that the finished product is suitable for someone who needs to avoid gluten strictly. For a child with coeliac disease, check for a ‘gluten-free’ label and read the ingredients list on the pack you buy.
Does coconut milk necessarily contain dairy milk?
No. Carrefour’s published ingredients list for its Sensation culinary coconut milk includes coconut extract and water, but that doesn’t apply to every coconut-based product. Check the ingredients and allergens for each product.
Can you use a coconut drink instead of coconut milk in a recipe?
Don’t assume the two will give you the same result: they have different formulations and uses. For a recipe made for the lunchbox, check the product description, ingredients and storage instructions before you choose.
How should you manage a medical diet at school?
If an individual care plan (PAI) is in place, prepare the lunchbox in line with the dietary adjustments it specifies. The French Ministry of National Education says a PAI can set out the arrangements needed to support the education of a pupil with specific health needs.
Is a coconut drink nutritionally equivalent to milk?
Not necessarily: nutritional content varies from one product to another. Compare the nutritional information, including calcium where it’s listed, rather than assuming a nutritional benefit from the word ‘coconut’ alone.