To go with cereal or porridge, start by choosing a product that suits how you’ll use it: an ambient UHT coconut drink to pour into your bowl, or cooking coconut milk as an ingredient for a creamier recipe. Then compare the ‘of which sugars’ line, the ingredients list and the instructions for use after opening. If ‘filtered’ is an important factor for you, check what it means for the specific product you’re considering. The term alone doesn’t tell you what it contains or how it should be stored.
You’re looking for a coconut drink to pour over cereal or into porridge, and want to compare the declared sugar content. The product pages for Auchan Bio and Bjorg UHT coconut drinks with no added sugars list less than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 ml.
You’re looking at the form and amount of coconut listed, as well as the other ingredients. Depending on the recipe, the Auchan and Carrefour products featured use ingredients such as coconut milk, coconut water, rice or starch.
You want to store the product before opening, while remembering that it has a shorter shelf life once opened. Check the instructions for your chosen product: Auchan Bio and Bjorg UHT drinks have different recommended consumption periods after opening.
For a sweet breakfast, first decide whether you want a drink to pour or an ingredient for cooking. Then compare products intended for the same use by checking their labels, rather than relying on the word ‘coconut’ alone.
Worth considering: to go with cereal or porridge, choosing a recipe based on its declared sugars and ingredients.
Bear in mind: it needs to be kept in the fridge after opening, and you’ll need to finish it within the time shown on the carton.
Worth considering: as an ingredient in a sweet recipe when you’re looking for a creamier texture.
How it differs: it isn’t a plant-based drink you can use in a bowl in the same way. The nutritional values for Auchan Coco cuisine are quite different from those for its Auchan Bio drink.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Declared sugars | Compare the ‘of which sugars’ line per 100 ml and the ingredients. ‘No added sugars’ doesn’t mean there are no sugars. | If my breakfast is already sweet, I want to choose my drink based on its declared sugars, rather than just the claim on the front of the pack. Reducing sugar would be the top priority for around 31% of consumers. |
| Drink or cooking milk | Read the product name and check the fat and saturated fat content per 100 ml. Auchan Bio drink lists 1.8 g of fat, compared with 17 g for its cooking coconut milk. | When filling my bowl or making coffee, I want to avoid mistaking a cooking ingredient for a drink. This distinction would come first for around 31% of consumers. |
| Coconut content | Check the form and proportion of coconut, then look at the other ingredients in the specific product. | If the recipe matters more to me than the coconut label alone, I want to know what’s really in the carton. Around 23% of consumers would prioritise the ingredients first. |
| Storage | Check the instructions before opening, then the storage temperature and time limit after opening. | When I only use a little at a time, I want to be able to finish the carton within the recommended period. Storage would be the top priority for around 15% of consumers. |
The two products aren’t intended for the same use. Auchan product pages list 17 g of fat and 16 g of saturated fat per 100 ml for Coco cuisine, compared with 1.8 g and 1.7 g for its Bio coconut drink.
Check the product name and compare the nutritional information per 100 ml before choosing what to pour into your bowl.
Carrefour Bio coconut drink, which carries the ‘no added sugars’ claim, states that it contains naturally occurring sugars.
Also check the ‘of which sugars’ line per 100 ml and the ingredients list for the product you’re considering.
Bjorg recommends consuming its product within 4 days of opening, compared with 5 days for the Auchan products reviewed.
Choose a carton size that suits how much you use, and follow the refrigeration and storage instructions on the pack.
If you can’t finish an opened carton within the time shown, some of it may go to waste.
The term is no substitute for the product name, an ingredients list or storage instructions.
If ‘filtered’ is important to your choice, check what it means for that specific product. Then check its UHT treatment and storage instructions separately.
Auchan product pages distinguish between an unsweetened UHT Bio coconut drink, a coconut drink containing rice syrup and a UHT cooking coconut milk.
Bjorg’s range includes an unsweetened organic UHT plant-based coconut drink in a one-litre carton.
Carrefour product pages feature two different Alpro plant-based coconut drink recipes: one with no added sugars and another that also contains rice.
Carrefour Bio offers an organic plant-based coconut drink with no added sugars in a one-litre carton.
Not for the same purpose: choose based on whether you want a drink to pour or an ingredient for a recipe. On Auchan product pages, the Bio coconut drink lists 1.8 g of fat per 100 ml, compared with 17 g for Coco cuisine. Check the product name and nutritional values for the product you’re buying.
No. Carrefour Bio coconut drink, which carries the ‘no added sugars’ claim, states that it contains naturally occurring sugars. To compare two recipes, check the ‘of which sugars’ line per 100 ml as well as the ingredients list.
Keep it in the fridge and follow the time limit shown on the product you’ve bought. The Auchan product pages reviewed specify a maximum temperature of 6 °C and recommend consuming the drinks within 5 days. The Bjorg product page recommends consuming it within 4 days.