Articles

Rabbi Sholem Fishbane
cRc Kashrus Administrator

Often a food package bears a kosher symbol followed by a D or a DE, which most of us understand to indicate that the food contained therein is either dairy (in the case of the D) or processed on the same equipment as dairy (as symbolized by the DE).

But more often than not, these symbols raise more questions than they answer. Why is a food marked as dairy when I see no dairy ingredients on the package? If I keep chalav Yisrael do I need to avoid DE? May I eat it with or right after meat?

How come some things can be labeled as dairy in the allergen information but the hechsher indicates that they are pareve, and other products have a D or a DE but have no allergen warning at all?

And then to answer the greatest question of all: Which Oreos are really dairy, and which are not?

To understand the answers to these questions–and many more–let’s take a deep dive into the world of dairy processing.

See the attached article to read more.

Published in cRc Pesach Guide 2021. Please note that the list of DE Oreo Cookies was compiled in March 2021 and may not be current. See the OU website for additional information: https://oukosher.org/faqs/what-is-the-status-of-oreo-sandwich-cookies-do-they-contain-actual-dairy-ingredients-2/