Coffee Mate is a lactose-free coffee creamer manufactured by Nestlé, the world’s largest food company.
The coffee creamer was introduced in the United States in 1961 by Carnation, and it has been the preferred coffee companion for many American households ever since.
The original Coffee Mate is produced in liquid, concentrated liquid and powdered forms; and it is made up of three ingredients: corn syrup solids, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and sodium caseinate.
Today, Coffee Mate is sold worldwide by Nestlé. The brand now comes in over 25 innovative flavors, including gingerbread, Parisian almond crème as well as peppermint mocha. Although if you live outside of the United States, you may be familiar with a different version of the coffee creamer or may have never heard of it for this reason…
Coffee Mate is banned in several European countries
Generally, European countries have stricter regulations when it comes to the kinds of food and food stuffs available for consumption. With this in mind, the popular lactose-free creamer is banned in Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Iceland and Hungary. These countries have clamped down on trans fats like hydrogenated vegetable oil due to its adverse health effects.
Hydrogenated vegetable oil is a type of trans fat that food manufacturers use to keep their food and beverages fresher for longer. However, vegetable oil is high in linoleic acid which is linked to several health issues including coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and asthma.
Coffee Mate is available in the UK but with one difference
In the UK, Coffee Mate is only available in powder form as a coffee whitener with no added flavors.
According to Nestlé’s UK website, this range consists of:
- Nestlé Coffee Mate Original
- Nestlé Coffee Mate Light
That means no vanilla or caramel varieties, unfortunately. The UK version of Coffee Mate is also manufactured without the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil.
