By law, a product can be labeled "dairy
free" as long as it does not contain more than 2% of a dairy product. A Kosher
listing may give you immediate feedback on the safety of a product. Most Kosher products
have K, U, Parve or Pareve on the label. These generally do not have dairy.
The majority
of Pareve products do not contain dairy - however, Jewish law states that if the product
has less than 1.5% dairy by volume, they may take special measures to allow for the
product to be labeled Pareve. This would be very unusual,
with the majority of Pareve products being dairy-free.
If there is a U or K with a D
following it, the product either has dairy or was made on equipment that has processed
other dairy products. You will find that many margarines have no dairy listed in the
ingredients, but have a K with a D on the front of the package. Don't buy this product
until you have spoken with the product manufacturer regarding its dairy content.
If your child is anaphylactic, you should avoid the product
altogether.
You can
visit http://www.ou.org/kosher
for some wonderful
Kosher information, and to subscribe to a Kosher list that alerts us to mislabeled Kosher
foods.
