Consumer expert Sophie Coisne has warned supermarket shoppers against fruit yoghurts and urged buyers to check labels during a French television broadcast. Speaking on the programme Bonjour ! Avec vous, the consumer specialist answered viewer questions about navigating supermarket aisles and choosing healthier everyday products.
Coisne, the deputy editor-in-chief of the consumer magazine 60 Millions de Consommateurs, explained that shoppers should not assume that everything in supermarket aisles is bad for their health. She noted that while many packaged goods are wholesome, buyers must watch for hidden additives, particularly in popular sweet snacks and dairy desserts.
Published by the National Consumer Institute, 60 Millions de Consommateurs is a French consumer advocacy magazine established to provide independent product evaluations. The organisation conducts laboratory tests on packaged foods, cosmetics, and household items, assessing ingredient quality and processing standards without accepting commercial advertising from manufacturers.
Spotting flavourings in yoghurt aisles
The broadcast addressed fruit yoghurts after a viewer named Jacqueline asked whether she could buy them with complete confidence because she loved the dessert. Coisne said that consumer specialists are less enthusiastic about fruit yoghurts than plain varieties, explaining that commercial fruit pots frequently contain added flavourings and only a small amount of fruit. Rather than purchasing flavoured pots, she advised shoppers to buy plain yoghurt and add a spoonful of jam at home.
Another viewer, Pétronille, asked how to choose between the different plain dairy products in supermarket chillers, including standard yoghurts, petits suisses, veloutés, and fromages blancs. In French dairy tradition, fromages blancs are fresh cultured cheeses resembling quark, petits suisses are small fresh cheeses enriched with cream, and velouté lines offer a smooth stirred texture. Coisne explained that as long as these products are plain, they are all worthwhile options for consumers.
To decide which plain dairy product has the best composition, Coisne pointed to the length of the ingredient list as a key buying guide. She advised shoppers to check the label from time to time, noting that products with very few ingredients offer a strong chance of being healthy. When a package lists only a small number of simple items, she told viewers to buy it without hesitation.
Checking ready-made pastry ingredients
The television feature also examined ready-made baking dough after a viewer named Mireille asked whether pre-packaged shortcrust pastry is acceptable for home baking. Mireille explained that she enjoys baking quiches at home but feels too lazy to prepare pastry dough from scratch. Coisne said that consumer testers were pleasantly surprised by ready-made shortcrust pastry, reporting that almost all brands sold in supermarkets contain very few ingredients and can be purchased with little risk.
However, Coisne emphasised that ingredient quality still varies depending on the brand, with some commercial products proving far less interesting than others. She advised shoppers to inspect pastry packaging specifically for butter rather than margarine, noting that real butter produces a much better pastry.
In commercial baking, food manufacturers often substitute cheaper vegetable oils or margarine for dairy butter to cut production costs and extend shelf life. Coisne also warned that dough with an unusually deep yellow colour can indicate the presence of food colouring used to mimic the appearance of butter. Checking the ingredient list allows shoppers to confirm whether pre-rolled pastry relies on pure dairy butter or coloured vegetable fat.
