When shopping with a food allergy in mind, first rule out capsules whose ingredients or precautionary allergen statements are incompatible with the avoidance requirements, then check your machine’s exact system. Products from NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto and Auchan show that milk appears in different forms, and that soya or gluten may also be present depending on the recipe. Then compare sugar levels in relation to the volume of drink prepared. Nutri-Score, which is optional in France according to Santé publique France, does not tell you whether a product is free from allergens.
If you’re shopping for someone who needs to avoid an allergen, the exact recipe matters more than the words ‘hot chocolate’. Products described by NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto and Auchan contain milk, among other ingredients; some also declare soya, gluten or possible traces.
Check the system specified for your machine before comparing recipes. NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto says its Original capsules are designed for NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Original machines. Any capsule described as compatible must also match your appliance.
Check the sugar content and the volume for the prepared serving. The NESQUIK and Chococino product information published by NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto gives serving sizes with different volumes, so the figures per cup do not refer to the same quantity of drink.
When buying hot chocolate capsules with allergies in mind, start with the ingredients and any precautionary allergen statements. Then check machine compatibility, nutritional information and how many capsules are needed per drink.
| Factor | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Allergens and traces | Read the ingredients for the exact product, then check any ‘may contain’ statements on the pack you receive. Check every component of a two-capsule recipe. | If I need to avoid milk, I also want to identify the different forms it takes in the recipe and consider any relevant traces in line with my avoidance requirements. For around 50% of shoppers, avoiding the allergen in question would be the top priority. |
| Machine compatibility | Compare the system shown on the box with your machine; don’t assume that every Dolce Gusto format will work with another system. | A recipe is only useful to me if its capsule works with my machine. Compatibility would be the top factor for around 20% of shoppers. |
| Sugar per drink | Look for the ‘of which sugars’ line and the volume of the prepared serving. If a Nutri-Score is shown, don’t mistake it for allergen information. | When several recipes are suitable, I want to compare sugar levels without treating two cups of different sizes as equivalent. Around 20% of shoppers would make this comparison a priority. |
| Preparation format | Check whether a drink uses one capsule or a chocolate capsule and a milk capsule, as well as the preparation instructions. | I prefer to know how many capsules I need and whether the milk comes in a separate component. For around 10% of shoppers, the preparation format would be the main factor. |
Recipes described by NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto and Auchan may contain whole milk powder, skimmed milk or whey. In a two-capsule preparation, the milk capsule is part of the drink.
If you need to avoid milk, read the ingredients for the entire recipe before choosing a product.
According to NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto’s product information, NESQUIK contains 8.2 g of sugars per 70 ml prepared drink, compared with 18.5 g per 151 ml for Chococino. The serving sizes are different.
Always consider the sugar content alongside the serving size and drink volume given for each product.
According to Santé publique France, displaying Nutri-Score is voluntary in France. It does not replace the ingredients list or allergen information.
Check the ingredients first, then use the available nutritional information to compare like-for-like products.
A compatibility statement refers to a machine system, not every capsule machine. NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto says its Original capsules are designed for NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Original machines.
Check the exact system your appliance uses and look for the matching statement on the box you choose.
These examples relate to specific recipes. Check the ingredients and allergen information for every product you buy.
The NESQUIK hot chocolate capsule featured by NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto is designed for this machine system. Its product information gives a prepared drink volume of 70 ml.
This recipe combines a milk component with a chocolate component. NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto gives a prepared serving size of 151 ml.
The Banania product described on Auchan’s product page contains 12 cocoa drink capsules compatible with the Dolce Gusto system specified.
The product reviewed combines chocolate and milk capsules compatible with the Dolce Gusto system specified.
Carrefour’s product information describes a hot chocolate recipe compatible with Dolce Gusto, with a chocolate component and a milk component.
These three products are chocolate capsules compatible with the Dolce Gusto system specified. They are not milk-free options: check the allergen you need to avoid and the information on the exact pack before choosing.
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Consider this for a machine using the Dolce Gusto system specified, but only if milk is not an allergen you need to avoid.
Check for other allergens and possible traces on the exact pack before choosing this recipe.
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This single-capsule recipe may suit the preparation format you’re looking for if your machine uses the system specified and you do not need to avoid milk.
To compare sugars per drink with another product, check the volume given for the serving, as well as any allergen trace statements on the pack.
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Only consider these if your machine uses the system specified and you do not need to avoid milk or gluten.
The Banania recipe described by Auchan contains milk and barley malt containing gluten. Check the exact pack for any trace statements too.
No. Santé publique France says that producers can choose whether to display it. It complements nutritional information but does not replace the ingredients list or allergen information.
No. The sugar content alone is not enough to establish whether a product is subject to this French tax. Légifrance and the Official Bulletin of Public Finance, in guidance dated 30 December 2019, describe several cumulative conditions concerning whether the product is liquid, whether it contains added sugars and how it is packaged. To find out how much sugar you’ll consume, check the nutritional values for the prepared drink instead.
No. Compare the system shown on the box with your machine, then check the recipe. NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto says its Original capsules are designed for NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Original machines. Mechanical compatibility tells you nothing about the ingredients or allergens.
No. Check the declared ingredients and trace statements separately. The Auchan product described on its product page contains milk and warns that it may contain traces of gluten and soya. Your choice should take account of the specific allergen and the avoidance advice for the person concerned.