Dina writes:

<< All products being considered for Kosher certification must go through a
 through check for all ingredients from its original source to the final
 production.  >>

True, but my point was that some products are not submitted for Kosher
certification. In those cases you will not see the "D" or any other useful
symbols on the label.

<<As for the question about Lactose, Lactic Acid I believe is the only one
that
is Pareve. However, any other derivative with the wording Lact is dairy as
far as I know. It is a confusing subject and I know it's hard to figure out
one thing from the other.>>

I've summarized what various kosher interpreters have to say on my web site
at:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/stevecarper/experts.htm

Steve Carper