A guide to dairy free sweets

Milk is one of the 14 allergens, and it covers milk products and lactose too. Whether you have a milk allergy, lactose intolerance or simply eat dairy free, the same rule applies: read every label.

Where dairy hides

• Chocolate. Milk chocolate and white chocolate both contain milk solids.
• Fudge, toffee and caramel. Fudge is made from sugar, butter and milk, and toffee from sugar or molasses with butter.
• Under other names. Butter, cream, whey, lactose and milk powder are all milk, and on packed sweets each must be emphasised as an allergen in the ingredients list: see milk in sweets

Not everything that sounds dairy is

Cocoa butter is an edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean. Despite the name, it contains no milk.

The dark chocolate question

Dark chocolate, also called plain chocolate, is made from chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and sugar, so its basic recipe has no milk. But recipes vary, and makers change them. Fry's Chocolate Cream, the oldest chocolate bar brand still sold, was made without milk until 2022, when skimmed milk powder was added: see Fry's Chocolate Cream Always check the current label, and look for may contain milk warnings: see what does may contain mean on sweets?

Vegan is not the same as allergy safe

A vegan sweet should have no milk ingredients, which makes vegan labels a useful shortcut. But the government advises that people with a milk allergy should not assume a vegan product is safe, because vegan food can be made in places where milk is handled, and vegan labelling does not require the strict controls used for free from claims: see a guide to vegan sweets

Allergy or intolerance

A milk allergy and lactose intolerance are different. Lactose intolerance causes symptoms such as tummy pain and bloating after eating lactose. A food allergy can cause difficulty breathing, itchy skin and swelling, and can be life threatening. If you think you have either, talk to your GP.

Shopping dairy free

• Check every ingredients list, even on sweets you have bought before.
• Look for milk, butter, cream, whey, lactose and milk powder.
• Treat may contain milk as a real warning if you have an allergy.
• For loose pick and mix, ask about shared scoops: see pick and mix and allergies

Each sweet in our pick and mix has a card that opens up to show its ingredients and allergens before you buy.

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