Dairy Free
Dairy-free foods or beverages that do not contain ingredients derived from any component of cows, sheep, or goat’s milk. Dairy-free ingredients do not include milk, cheese, butter, extracted forms, casein, whey, lactose, or milk fat.
If any type of dairy is in an FDA-regulated food product it should be clear on the ingredient statement. If it is present it is listed at the bottom of the ingredients list.
There are different labels used to denote food ingredients without dairy. These labels include dairy-free, non-dairy, and vegan.
A person that follows this diet may still eat other animal products (like poultry, beef, or fish) but they do not consume any dairy-based milk products. Products are typically made from plants like nuts (almond, cashew), seeds (flax or hemp), legumes (soy or pea), fruit (coconut), or oats. They can include products similar to lactose-free milk products, just made with alternative ingredients.