Foods that are neither meat nor dairy are called pareve. This means that they contain no meat or dairy derivatives, and have not been cooked or mixed with any meat or dairy foods.
Eggs, fish, fruit, vegetables, grains, and juices in their natural, unprocessed state are common pareve foods. Other pareve foods include pasta, soft drinks, coffee and tea, and many types of candy and snacks. Products that have been processed in any way should be bought only if they bear reliable kosher certification.
Although pareve foods present fewer kashrut complexities than either meat or dairy foods, certain points must be kept in mind:
Pareve foods may lose their pareve status if processed on dairy equipment or when additives are used. The label may give no indication of this processing. Chocolate, cookies and other snacks should not be used with meat or meaty foods unless they are certified pareve.
Certain fruits, vegetables and grains must be checked for the presence of small insects and larvae (See Vegetables and Kashrut
)
Eggs must be checked for the presence of blood spots (See Eggs)
For more information on the status of pareve foods, see Serving Pareve Foods