Sodium Caseinate - Continued

Q. It is common for products labeled “non-dairy” creamer to contain sodium caseinate. How can that be? Aren’t non-dairy and sodium caseinate mutually exclusive terms?

A. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established its own definitions for food products. Under FDA guidelines, a product can be labeled non-dairy, even though it contains sodium caseinate, which is the protein component of milk. (Perhaps manufacturers prefer the descriptive term non-dairy, because such items will be more attractive for people who are allergic to lactose {milk sugar} but not casein, though casein may have small traces of lactose as well.) If the term “nondairy” appears on a creamer that contains sodium caseinate, the FDA requires a parenthetical term such as “a milk derivative” appear after the listing of sodium caseinate in the ingredient panel. Regarding kashrus, a non-dairy creamer that contains sodium caseinate must be labeled OUD or OU Dairy. Consumers often mistakenly believe that non-dairy creamers are pareve, but that is a false notion.

______________________________________________________

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.