>So parve is your absolute best guarantee of milklessness.  (So, in the sa=
>me
>way, are kosher foods that contain meat.)  But you must, MUST, look for t=
>he
>actual word parve (or pareve).  There is no generally recognized symbol
>that means the same thing.

Actually, most of the main kashrut certification groups leave off the word
parve on the items they certify as parve unless it is on a product you would
suspect would normally contain milk or meat.  So, for example, a box of
cereal or a bag of popcorn with an O-U (U in a circle) on it with no little
D next to it is certified parve.  They will always specify dairy with a
little D next to the O-U unless it is totally obvious, like ice cream or
cottage cheese.  So there are many many certified-parve items which don't
have the word parve anywhere on the package.

If it is certified kosher, it is either dairy, meat or parve, as you have
stated above.  Usually it is obvious from the product which is most likely.
If not it will be specified next to the kosher symbol.

--Robyn (mommy to Ryan 9/7/93 and Matthew 6/16/96)
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