FDA: 25 Percent of “Vegan” Chocolate Bars Contain Milk

In a new study, the Food and Drug Administration reveals that many commercial dark chocolate bars actually contain milk. When screened for dairy, several varieties—which do not list milk as an ingredient—tested positive for milk. Of those products labeled “vegan,” an astonishing 25 percent contained milk. Of the 94 dark chocolate bars studied, 88 of them did not list milk on their ingredient label, though 60 percent tested positive for dairy. The existence of dairy in these products is not intentional, but rather the result of using shared equipment that also produces milk chocolate or other dairy products. While some of the bars tested contained just “traces of milk,” others had “milk levels as high as those found in products that declared the presence of milk.” The FDA did not mention any specific brands in the study.