If it is not labeled as pareve, some dark and bittersweet chocolate and chocolate coatings may contain up to one or two percent milk to enhance the shelf life and prevent bloom, a whitening of the outer surface. The addition of a small amount of milk is particularly prevalent in Israeli chocolates. 8 Compound chocolate which is used for coatings contains added fats which may be of animal or vegetable origin. Cocoa drops may contain palm or cottonseed oil, which need kosher certification, instead of cocoa fat. In addition carob products may contain milk without being listed on the ingredients.
Most carob chips do contain whey.
Chocolate may also be processed on equipment used previously for milk chocolate and not cleaned between batches, so that the residue of the previous batch is still present on the equipment. This is sometimes labeled as dairy equipment, but to the cholov yisroel consumer, at least, such products should signal a red flag. For all kosher consumers, chocolates processed on dairy equipment may present a problem. Kosher Production Many of the kosher brands of candies are produced as private labels by manufacturers who produce other products to the contractors specifications. The contractor must be very careful to ensure that its specific instructions are carried out and must supervise the production.