Introduction
Coffee Mate is the most popular coffee creamer in the United States. It’s popular due to its wide range of flavors, being lactose-free, and sold at a cheap price. However, all of those benefits also come with some downsides. Many countries do not care for Coffee Mate’s creamers in either liquid or powder form because of some select reasons. This means if you’re traveling outside of the United States, you may have a hard time finding your beloved creamer.
Answer Target
Some countries have banned Coffee Mate due to health concerns, religious dietary restrictions, and local competition. The taste isn’t very popular either, outside of its home country. While it’s a favorite in the US, it’s not seen in many other parts of the world.
Key Takeaways
- Coffee Mate ingredients have adverse health effects leading to a ban in many countries.
- Because Coffee Mate is haram, those of the Islamic faith cannot consume it.
- The powdered and liquid coffee creamer isn’t a popular taste throughout most of the world, so it’s not often found in other countries.
The Origins of Coffee Mate
Started by Nestle in 1961, Coffee Mate is a coffee sweetener designed to be the first non-dairy creamer on the market. It is a lactose-free coffee creamer primarily made up of three ingredients, which are corn syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and sodium caseinate. It comes in several varieties in America such as concentrate, liquid, and powder. Each variety comes with over a dozen unique flavors.
Countries Where Coffee Mate is Banned and Why
Although Coffee Mate is popular in America, many other countries have opted to ban Coffee Mate partially or altogether. There are many reasons why each section of countries has chosen to do this for the good of their people.
European Countries
Many European countries such as Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland have banned Coffee Mate. The concerns lie with the ingredients in all Coffee Mate liquid creamers and in most Coffee Mate powdered creamers. The ingredients in Coffee Mate raise health concerns in these different countries as they worry about adverse health effects from the hydrogenated vegetable oil in the Coffee Mate.
Middle Eastern Countries
Middle Eastern countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have not banned Coffee Mate, but do not sell Coffee Mate in either powder or liquid form. Health concerns surrounding the ingredients in Coffee Mate are part of it. However, the main other reason for this lies in dietary and religious concerns over the ingredients in Coffee Mate.
Australia
Coffee Mate is not widely sold in either powder or liquid form in Australia for similar health concerns and safety regulations surrounding the ingredients in the creamer. Australians tend to prefer more fresh creamers anyway.
Why Some Countries Have Banned Coffee Mate
The main reason Coffee Mate has a ban in several countries is that almost all of the ingredients lead to severe health consequences. The consequences range from heart problems to obesity. Religious and dietary preferences also play a role.
Health Concerns
The main ingredient that has led to a ban in several countries is hydrogenated soybean oil. The oils increase your chances of heart disease. The corn syrup, another main ingredient, is known for being a large contributor to obesity and other heart problems. A mixture of other chemicals also combine to make a concoction that other countries besides America typically ban for health concerns.
Coffee Mate Original Powdered Creamer Nutritional Value
Source: Coffee mate Original Powdered Creamer Canister 12 x 11 oz (nestleprofessional.us)
| Coffee Mate Powdered Creamer Nutritional Values | Per 1 tsp (2 g) | Daily Value (%) |
| Calories | 10 | |
| Total Fat | 0.5 g | 0 |
| Saturated Fat | 0.5 g | 3 |
| Trans Fat | 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0 g | |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0 g | |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 |
| Sodium | 0 mg | 0 |
| Carbohydrate | 1 g | 0 |
| Sugars | 0 g | |
| Includes Added Sugars | 0 g | 0 |
| Protein | 0 g | |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0 |
| Calcium | 0 mg | 0 |
| Iron | 0 mg | 0 |
| Potassium | 15 mg | 0 |
Coffee Mate Original Liquid Nutritional Value
Source: Coffee mate Original Liquid Creamer Singles (.375 fluid ounces) (nestleprofessional.us)
| Coffee Mate Liquid Creamer Nutritional Values | Per 1 tub (11 mL) | Daily Value (%) |
| Calories | 10 | |
| Total Fat | 1 g | 1 |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g | 5 |
| Trans Fat | 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0 g | |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0 g | |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 |
| Sodium | 0 mg | 0 |
| Carbohydrate | 0 g | 0 |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g | 0 |
| Sugars | 0 g | |
| Added Sugars | 0 g | 0 |
| Protein | 0 g | |
| Vitamin D | 0.0 mcg | 0 |
| Calcium | 0 mg | 0 |
| Iron | 0.0 mg | 0 |
| Potassium | 20 mg | 0 |
Dietary and Religious Restrictions
Besides health concerns, Coffee Mate is not sold in several countries for going against religious dietary restrictions, specifically those of Islam. Coffee Mate is haram. Haram means those of the Islamic faith cannot consume it due to the ingredients in the Coffee Mate. The ingredient listed as being haram is the sodium caseinate as it comes from milk and having any animal enzymes is against Islam.
Competitive Market and Local Preferences
Many other countries lean more towards local products rather than those from America. They want to support locals and it is also just generally more popular to the tastes of those from the area. Coffee Mate’s high level of preservatives pushes many people away as they opt for more natural alternatives for creamer.
Alternative Creamers and Healthier Choices
The main draw of Coffee Mate is that it is a cheap lactose-free, non-dairy coffee creamer option.
Thankfully, many alternatives are just as good, if not better, than Coffee Mate. Non-dairy creamers you can look for are generally made with almond milk or oat milk, so they are a good ingredient to look out for.
Other options in the almond or oat milk variety include more high-end brands like Califia Farms or the classic Silk brand. For a good powder creamer with some added health benefits, you can look at Laird Superfood Creamers for coconut milk creamer alternatives.
Coffee Mate Ingredients Breakdown
| Coffee Mate Ingredient | Description | Concerns/Notes |
| Non-Dairy Creamer | A mixture often containing vegetable oils and sugar. | May contain trans fats depending on the specific type of vegetable oil used. |
| Sugar | Sweetener | Linked to various health issues when consumed in excess, including obesity and diabetes. |
| Corn Syrup Solids | A type of sugar derived from corn syrup. | Has similar concerns as sugar. Also, might be GMO unless specified. |
| Hydrogenated Oils | Oils that have been chemically altered to be solid at room temperature. | Known source of trans fats, which have been linked to heart disease. |
| Sodium Caseinate | A milk protein. | Not a lactose source but can be an issue for strict vegans. |
| Mono & Diglycerides | Fats used as emulsifiers to combine ingredients. | Can be a hidden source of trans fats. |
| Dipotassium Phosphate | Used to moderate coffee acidity. | Generally recognized as safe, but large amounts might affect kidney health. |
| Natural & Artificial Flavors | Add flavoring to the creamer. | Some consumers prefer natural over artificial flavors for health and safety reasons. |
| Carrageenan | A thickener derived from seaweed. | Some concerns about gastrointestinal inflammation, but evidence is mixed. |
What Does This Mean for Coffee Lovers?
While all of this information can seem scary, you still have choices. Many other non-dairy coffee creamers on the market can supplement Coffee Mate creamers. If you worry about health problems that can come from different creamers, you can make an informed choice by checking the ingredients and doing some research.
The Future of Coffee Mate
Nestle continues to try and fix the problems with Coffee Mate to address health concerns and continue to push their brand to new places. One of the options they have introduced is a zero-sugar creamer.
They have also started marketing their powdered version which is a little healthier because it uses different oils for preservation that do not contain trans fat and thus cause fewer health problems.
Conclusion
Coffee Mate has a lot of controversy surrounding its ingredients and it can be hard to want to drink it after learning all of this. However, you must make your own choices about what coffee creamer you use. You should base your choices on your own research and preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Nestle discontinuing Coffee Mate?
No, it does not seem like Nestle will be discontinuing Coffee Mate at any point in the near future. They continue to make changes to update the creamers, but they will keep making them for now except for a few select flavors that could not change enough.
Why can you not buy Coffee Mate Light?
You cannot buy Coffee Mate light in some places because it is discontinued by Nestle for the time being. Nestle claims it may return eventually, but they discontinued it to try and make the product more eco-friendly.
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