For family cooking, choose culinary coconut milk by comparing its coconut extract content, ingredients and pack size. For drinking, look for a coconut plant-based drink, as its ingredients and use are different. Neither product can replace breast milk or infant formula for a child under one: Anses advises that everyday drinks are not suitable substitutes. The word “mature” alone tells you little about a product; check its name and label instead.
For a sauce or dessert, compare the coconut extract content, the ingredients list and the quantity your recipe needs. The Real Thai, Carrefour Sensation and Kara product listings featured by Carrefour France show how ingredients and pack sizes can vary.
Whether it’s for you to drink or for a breakfast recipe, make sure you’re choosing a plant-based drink rather than culinary coconut milk. The Alpro drink featured by Carrefour France is intended for a different use.
If you’re buying something for your baby’s milk feeds, don’t mistake an everyday coconut product for infant formula. Anses says that everyday drinks, whether plant-based or animal-based, cannot replace breast milk or suitable infant formula.
First, decide whether you’ll be using the product for cooking or drinking. If you have an infant, keep this purchase separate from choosing their milk feeds.
| Criteria | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Feeding an infant | Check the product name. Don’t choose a coconut drink or culinary coconut milk as a substitute for a suitable bottle feed. | If I have a child under one, I want to make sure an everyday product isn’t mistaken for their milk feed; around 50% of consumers in this situation would put this distinction first. |
| Ingredients for cooking | Compare the coconut extract content and the ingredients list. Check fat values in the same units before making any nutritional comparison. | When making a sauce or dessert, I first look for ingredients that suit my recipe; this would be the priority for around 30% of consumers in this situation. |
| Drinking and pack size | Look for the words “plant-based drink”, then choose a suitable volume and check how to store it after opening. | If I mainly want a drink for my own breakfast, a concentrated cooking ingredient won’t meet the same need; around 20% of consumers in this situation would prioritise this use. |
The ingredients aren’t interchangeable: the listings published by Carrefour France state that Alpro’s drink contains 14.1% coconut milk, compared with 64% or 85% coconut extract in the culinary examples from Kara, Real Thai and Carrefour Sensation.
Start by choosing according to how you plan to use the product, then check its name and ingredients list.
Anses says that everyday drinks of plant or animal origin are not substitutes for breast milk or infant formula. Culinary coconut milk is not infant formula either.
If you have a question about bottle-feeding or substituting a product, ask a healthcare professional rather than choosing a cooking ingredient or everyday drink.
On their own, these words don’t tell you the coconut content or ingredients you need to compare two products.
Base your choice on the product name, ingredients, pack size and nutritional information on the packaging.
The differences below apply to the specific products featured by Carrefour France, not to every product from each brand.
Culinary coconut milk in a 1 L carton, with 85% coconut extract.
Culinary coconut milk in a 400 mL can, with 85% coconut extract.
Organic culinary coconut milk in a 200 mL pack, with 64% organic coconut extract.
A coconut plant-based drink in a 1 L carton, intended for a different use from culinary coconut milk.
These products are cooking ingredients: two coconut milks and one coconut cream. Choose between them based on the type of ingredient your recipe calls for and the pack size you need. None of them is suitable as a substitute for an infant’s milk feeds.
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Organic coconut milk in a 200 ml pack, ideal to consider for a small family recipe. Before comparing its fat content with another product, check the value shown on the packaging.
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Organic coconut milk in a 400 ml pack for family cooking. If you prefer a short ingredients list, check the packaging to see whether it contains a stabiliser.
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This 200 ml organic coconut cream is worth considering if your recipe calls for cream rather than coconut milk. Check the product name and the fat content stated in it before swapping one ingredient for the other.
No, not for a child under one. Anses says that everyday plant-based or animal-based drinks cannot replace breast milk or suitable infant formula. Culinary coconut milk is not infant formula either.
First check the product name and ingredients, then choose according to how you plan to use it. The listings featured by Carrefour France state that the culinary examples from Kara, Real Thai and Carrefour Sensation contain 64% or 85% coconut extract, compared with 14.1% coconut milk in the Alpro drink mentioned here.
Check the product name, ingredients list, net quantity and nutritional information to make sure it suits your needs. EUR-Lex’s summary of food labelling rules also highlights the importance of instructions for use where they are needed.