Pretty much the consensus. Complicated, with variations based on the 
labeling practices of the various certifying agencies.

For our family, pareve labeling is a pretty good indicator that we'll 
be ok. No worse than any product not labeled dairy-free.

Regardless of the labeling, there are no guarantees of the absence of 
all dairy contaminants. Products manufactured in totally separate 
facilities would be best.

What we all need is some agency that is responsible for certifying 
proper separation of equipment or scientifically valid and enforced 
cleansing of equipment.

Mark


At 07:56 PM 8/14/2008, Weavre Cooper wrote:
>One more note, this time about the "pareve" or "parve" label ...
>
>My orthodox Jewish allergist has warned me not to trust it. The standards
>for keeping Kosher are high, but are NOT sufficient to prevent all
>cross-contamination. I have a very sensitive, severe allergy, so pareve
>isn't enough to be sure I'm safe. Someone who's less sensitive might be OK
>with it, and I see it recommended often ... but it does not actually
>guarantee that there's no dairy.
>
>Weavre Cooper