Best supermarket coffee capsules for taste and price according to french consumer group

THE 2023 STUDY ALSO LOOKED AT GROUND COFFEE, WITH SOME FOUND TO CONTAIN DEAD BUGS The 51 most popular brands of coffee capsules and ground coffee sold in supermarkets in France were analysed

for composition and taste by a leading consumer magazine in 2023 - with the study finding that price was not necessarily an indication of quality.  All the brands tested were found to be

free of pesticides but some of the ground coffee contained dead bugs - this is not thought to pose any health risk. Coffee is France’s favourite drink after water, with more than eight out

of ten people enjoying at least one cup a day, the majority of whom (67%) were said to drink capsule coffee from machines like Nespresso, Senseo, Dolce Gusto or Tassimo. The remainder use

ground coffee. The wide-ranging study by consumer magazine 60 Millions de Consommateurs paid particular attention to taste, price and the presence of contaminants, which can include the

potentially cancerogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and acrylamide as well as pesticides and foreign bodies. Each brand was given a note out of 20. The highest scoring capsule

was among the lowest priced on the list: the organic coffee Auchan Expresso Bio. THE RESULTS All coffee was found to contain PAH in low concentrations, likely absorbed by the grains during

the drying process, however the Planteur des Tropiques (Intermarché) and Carte Noire, as well as decaffeinated L’Or capsules were found to have the most PAH. The potentially carcinogenic

compound acrylamide was also present in all coffee. The maximum recommended dose of this is 400µg/kg per capsule, with Lavazza’s containing the highest concentration at 345µg/kg. None of the

coffees were found to contain pesticides, an absence explained by the roasting process (at 200C), which destroys these compounds. As a result, there was no qualitative difference between

organic coffee and those treated with pesticide. However, the study found high levels of foreign bodies in ground coffees, particularly dead insects.  While the presence of insect parts is

common in coffee (and chocolate), the highest levels were detected in Bellarom, Lidl and Alter Eco ground coffee, all of which contained more than 80 insect parts. THE TOP THREE CAPSULES

Coffee Mark out of 20 Price Organic Auchan Expresso Bio 18.20 €2.85 Yes Lavazza Espresso Perfetto 16.5 €4.90 No Jacques Vabre Classique 16 €4.20 No Source: 60 Millions de Consommateurs