Call for dairy industry to increase use of stainless steel

The dairy industry needs to increase the use of stainless steel to ensure safe and healthy products, according to the Indian Dairy Association (IDA).

“Stainless steel is an integral part of the dairy industry. Its erosion- and corrosion-free characteristics are recognised by the industry for total food safety and public health,” pointed out GS Rajorhia, IDA Vice-President, at a seminar here on Friday, on the use of stainless steel in dairy.

Codex, the international food standards under the WHO, also recommends stainless steel as a preferred material for storage and transport of food.

“Research demonstrates that compared to other materials, stainless steel is the most hygienic and biologically suitable material for milk processing and storage. Our effort is to increase the pace of adoption of stainless steel in this area to ensure a better public health,” pointed out KK Pahuja, President, Indian Stainless Steel Development Association.

India, which is the largest producer of milk at 146.3 million tonnes a day, needs specific guidelines for the segment when it comes to health. Various research reports emphasise that the use of hazardous materials in the dairy industry have had a serious impact on public health, as a few materials lead to food contamination, according to the IDA.

The Bureau of Indian Standards has released new standards for the design and development of stainless steel milk cans.

“Taking a cue from these efforts, we, at Jindal Stainless, along with can producers, have developed a low-cost prototype of stainless steel milk can which is not only better in quality but also low-cost, as it uses alternate stainless steel grade and conforms to standards laid out by the BIS for milk cans,” said Ashok Gupta, Director, Jindal Stainless (Hisar) Ltd.

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