After Skyr, UFC-Que Choisir warns about this fashionable drink

Should we be wary of trendy products? After Skyr, the star of our shelves, singled out for its exaggerated health benefits and its high price, UFC-Que Choisir is warning consumers against another very fashionable product: kefir. This traditional drink from the Caucasus made from fruit or fermented milk has gained popularity in recent years with customers looking for new flavors. Kefir is also renowned for its numerous health benefits, notably by acting on the balance of the intestinal microbiota and digestive well-being.

Riding on this good image, manufacturers are raising prices on the shelves but not always wisely. The drink “currently sells at a high price: €4.50 per liter on average and up to €7 for the Naturalia brand”, underlines UFC-Que Choisir. More serious, “many drinks sold in France under the name kefir have in reality never touched the slightest grain of kefir”, warn our colleagues.

Difficult to differentiate kefir from classic fermented milks

To be considered authentic, a kefir must contain at least 10,000 yeasts per gram according to the Codex Alimentarius, a joint program of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organization of Health (WHO). Today, the drinks sold in our supermarkets under the name kefir are more similar to buttermilk. Which does not prevent manufacturers from pushing prices upwards.

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But then why are manufacturers reluctant to follow the traditional recipe even if it means cheating the consumer a little? “Working with precise strains guarantees a stable result and limits microbiological risks,” explains Kerguillet, a Breton company specializing in organic, to UFC-Que Choisir. Another argument: real kefir grains “produce gas” giving a sparkling effect to the product which is often not appreciated by consumers.

It’s also difficult for customers to feel the difference. During a blind tasting organized by UFC-Que Choisir, none of the volunteers were able to tell the difference between authentic kefir and an industrial alternative.