Until I saw your post, I didn't realize that anyone might think I meant not
to read the labels! Thank you for your post, R. Pellerin--Of course read the
labels and check the ingredients! (I actually check the ingredients on every
variety from a given brand, which helps with avoiding cross-contamination;
even then, of course, it's not guaranteed, because some factories make
products for a variety of brands.)

Not all grocery stores have cheap dairy-free margarine (or any other
particular product). Sometimes, such as when we've been traveling, I've had
to buy an expensive margarine or visit a different store. But, at least in
northeastern Pennsylvania, we've found cheap, truly dairy-free margarine
available at most of the regular grocery stores.

Thank you so much for your post, R. Pellerin. I don't want anyone to think I
was advocating buying *any* food without reading the label carefully!

Weavre Cooper

-----Original Message-----
From: Milk/Casein/Lactose-Free List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of R. Pellerin
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 8:35 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Allergy testing

I beg to differ.  I once spent a half an hour checking every single brand of
margarine from the cheapest to the most expensive olive oil DHA added and
only ONE brand was dairy free.  Just because it is cheap does not mean it
does not have milk.  Read ingredients carefully.

On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 8:15 AM, Weavre Cooper <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Re: margarines
>
> For ordinary daily use, the really, really cheap margarines can be safe,
> too. They're simply too cheap to use actual dairy! Ideally, look for the
> cheapest store brand near you, and check the ingredients on all their
> varieties; if one variety does include dairy, there's a risk of
> cross-contamination on the equipment. (I'm not listing specific brands,
> because what's available here in this category may not be what's available
> there.)
>
> For baking, we use Earth Balance, because it's the best we've found at
> giving baked goods the right texture. According to my family and friends,
> baked goods made with Earth Balance taste and feel are indistinguishable
> from those made with butter.
>
> Weavre Cooper ("Ms. C.")
>