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 NOTE: This Consumer Update sheds light on the results of an FDA study on milk in dark chocolate. That’s what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wanted to learn, especially after receiving reports that consumers had harmful reactions after eating dark chocolate. Chocolates are one of the most common sources of undeclared milk associated with consumer reactions. In fact, according to the FDA’s analysis of nearly 100 dark chocolate bars from different manufacturers and different parts of the country, two out of three did indeed contain milk. FDA researchers found that of 94 dark chocolate bars tested, only six listed milk as an ingredient. When testing the remaining 88 bars that did not list milk as an ingredient, FDA found that 51 of them actually did contain milk. First off, if you’re severely allergic to milk, it’s worth seeking out a trusted source of allergen-free chocolate. There’s quite a variety of advisory messages, such as: 
 
 “may contain milk” 
 
 “may contain dairy” 
 
 “may contain traces of milk” 
 
 “made on equipment shared with milk” 
 
 “processed in a plant that processes dairy” 
 
 “manufactured in a facility that uses milk” 
 
 FDA found that milk was present in 3 out of every 4 dark chocolate products with one of these advisory statements. Dairy-free isn’t always true 
 
 The FDA found traces of milk in 15 percent of bars that claimed to be “dairy-free.” The same goes for bars labeled “vegan” or “lactose-free” — while they’re theoretically free of dairy, that’s not always the case. No mention of milk isn’t any safer 
 
 Even if milk isn’t listed in an ingredients list or in a warning on the label, it may still be present in the bar. “Milk-allergic consumers should be aware that 33% of the dark chocolates with no mention of milk anywhere on the label were, in fact, found to contain milk,” says Luccioli. What Consumers Can Do 
 
 Consumers who are sensitive or allergic to milk should know that dark chocolate products are a high-risk food if you’re highly milk-allergic. Under the proposed Preventive Controls for Human Food rule that is scheduled to become final this fall, food manufacturers would be required to implement a food safety plan that identifies safeguards in place to prevent or significantly reduce such hazards as food allergens.
– Like snacking on dark chocolate? Then we hope you're not doing it to avoid milk, because the US Food and Drug Administration tested 94 dark-chocolate bars and found milk in 61% of them, Quartz reports—including not just products with descriptions like "may contain milk" or "may contain traces of milk," but ones that claim to be vegan, dairy-free, or lactose-free. What if the label doesn't mention milk at all? Yep, the agency found milk in 33% of those cases. Of 88 bars that didn't list milk as an ingredient, 51 included milk. The FDA undertook the project after consumers complained about reacting badly to dark chocolate. Sure enough, it's hard to find a dairy-free heaven in dark-chocolate land: "This can be a problem, since even one small bite of a product containing milk can cause a dangerous reaction in some individuals," a researcher tells Yahoo. The FDA detected milk in 75% of dark-chocolate products labeled "may contain milk," "manufactured in a facility that uses milk," or similar, and found that certain products "had milk levels as high as those found in products that declared the presence of milk," the agency says, noting that consumers should "read 'may' as 'likely'" on such labels. What's more, 15% of dark-chocolate bars with labels reading "dairy-free" or "lactose-free" contained milk, as did 25% claiming to be "vegan." So what's up? Many companies make dark and milk chocolate on the same machines: "And remember, they use a lot of powdered milk products in the chocolate industry, so powder can blow, it can get stuck to equipment," an allergist tells CBS Pittsburgh. Those in dire need of milk-free dark chocolate should find "a trusted source of allergen-free chocolate," says Yahoo, which advises people to "proceed with caution." (If you're not allergic to milk, though, chow down.)