Dive Brief:
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WhiteWave Foods Co. launched One Touch Latte under its International Delight product line. This coffee creamer transforms a cup of coffee into a latte, according to International Delight’s website.
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One Touch Latte comes in vanilla, caramel and mocha flavors. Consumers shake the can and squirt the specialty creamer into a cup that's two-thirds full of coffee, according to directions outlined in Prepared Foods.
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The coffee creamer is available in grocery stores across the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $3.99.
Dive Insight:
Coffee is one of the most often consumed beverages in the world. In the U.S. alone, three-fourths of all adults drink coffee, and half of those drink it daily, according to an article in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Recent studies have revealed the potential health benefits of coffee, linking it to lower risks of heart disease, stroke and liver disease, and longer life expectancy. However, these findings refer to black coffee, and the American Heart Association has warned that adding sugar, cream, flavored syrups and whipped toppings could cancel out the health benefits of the coffee itself.
One Touch Latte adds an additional 120 calories and 17 grams of sugar per serving. On top of these unhealthy qualities, the creamer also contains coconut oil. In June, the AHA released a report reviewing years of evidence linking saturated fat and heart disease. It specifically advised against using coconut oil because it contains more saturated fat (82%) than butter, palm oil or lard.
International Delight’s new creamer also contains a host of chemical-sounding ingredients such as dipotassium phosphate, cellulose gel and cellulose gum. At a time when consumers are increasingly concerned with clean labels and transparency with what is put in their food, One Touch Latte’s ingredient list may prove another liability.
WhiteWave has put a great deal of effort into making One Touch Latte an aesthetically-pleasing experience, featuring dozens of quirky, pretty treats made with the creamer with #LatteMadeEasy. The company’s social media campaign is likely an attempt to capture the interest of millennials by providing inspiration for their next Instagram. But it's also unclear if the interest of coffee purists — who may complain that a latte is a drink based on espresso and not regular coffee — will get in the way of product success.
Despite some not-so-healthy ingredients, One Touch Latte does feature a price that is more affordable than purchasing lattes at a coffee shop, considering one bottle of the creamer is enough to make seven drinks. However, only time will tell if price, convenience and an Instagram-worthy picture will make consumers choose to indulge in this frothy treat.