US health regulators will now consider using UV light to kill germs in dairy products

A dairy ingredient company has asked US health regulators to approve ultraviolet light as a way to reduce microbes in whey products. If approved, this would allow a new method for making dairy ingredients safer.

For decades, food safety has relied on heat or chemicals to kill germs. Using UV light is a physical process that does not change the chemical makeup of the food. This could open the door for other food manufacturers to use similar non-thermal methods, potentially leading to new products or more efficient production.