Q: I have a milk allergy and i've been looking for dairy free chocolate chips...I found one brand that did not have milk ingredients on the label...It just said it contains "cocoa butter ,liquid sugar, chocolate liquor" At the bottom of the bag is has a K symbol on it...What does that mean? Does the K mean it has dairy in it? Thanks...
A: Just to try to clarify - Almost all kosher symbols involve some sort of K. Some are more reliable than others (a K standing alone can't be copyrighted, so anyone can put one on any product and it doesn't have to mean anything), so I'll assume that the K is in a circle or backwards-C or some other design. In any case, having a K-symbol simply means the item is kosher, and has nothing to do with milk content. Generally, but not always, kosher foods that contain dairy ingredients will put a "D" next to the Kosher symbol. This is especially true of products you would not expect to be dairy (flavored potato chips, for example, which sometimes use dairy-based spices). If there is no "D," and the ingredients don't list anything dairy, then you can still safely assume that the product is dairy-free. Nowadays, most non-meat and non-dairy products will add the word "pareve" (or "parve" or or "parev") after the symbol to indicate its status. This is especially true of items that generally do contain milk or meat, and in this particular case don't. Since most chocolate chips do contain some sort of milk, I would look for a package that also says "pareve," if you have a choice. It's not necessary - 9 times out of 10 it is safe to trust a simple kosher symbol and the ingredients list, but if you have an allergy and are unsure, it's an extra safety net. One other thing to look for is D-E next to the kosher symbol, which stands for "dairy equipment". That means that while there is no milk in the product, the factory that produces the item also makes food that does include dairy, using the same machinery - presumably with some washing process in between. Depending on how severe your allergy is, this may also be something you need to avoid. One last note - a "P" next to the kosher symbol does NOT mean pareve. It means that the item is kosher for Passover. There are many dairy items that will have a K-P or OU-P on them, especially when Passover is around the corner. Hope that helps.