I thought I understood the Kosher markings on food. Would someone please explain
what, exactly the circle-U, letter D and word Pareve mean (I thought that the
circle-U indicated Kosher, the letter D indicates presence of diary and the word
pareve 'guarantees' no dairy, but my Low-Fat Blue Bonnet margarine has the letter D
after the circle-U even though I cannot find any hint of any diary in the ingredient
list. The regular Blue Bonnet margarine has the letter D and clearly lists milk as
an ingredient).

Also, are there any FDA regulations regarding ingredient lists? This is really
frustrating, and I think the recent truth-in-food-labelling laws have
affected the answer, so please limit your responses to recent news, not the
'20 years ago it meant...' stuff. Thanks!!!

1) milk products. I've noticed recent changes on packaging to more clearly
indicate when milk products are present. For example, I recently saw a
package with ingredient list containing 'natural flavorings (including milk)'.
I was thrilled that they specified it, but wonder if it's required now.

2) spices. What are the restrictions for what they can place under this category?
My son is allergic to basil or bay leaves (we haven't figured out which), so the
generic 'spices' bothers me.  Frequently, I see 'spices (basil, oregano)', but
other times I just see spices.  Since this is not technically a no-milk topic,
feel free to answer this one off-line.

3) natural flavorings. What are the restrictions for what they can place under this
category? Can it include milk UNDER THE NEW LAWS without being specified?

Thanks in advance!

Theresa