Stainless steel is already a win in our house. It's strong, safe, easy to clean, and doesn’t leach chemicals into food. But let’s be honest — kids don’t always get excited about plates. Color draws them in. It makes the broccoli look less suspicious, the carrots more exciting. Meals feel like something to explore instead of something to survive.

We knew that if we wanted to support healthy eating habits, we had to make mealtime feel fun, too. That meant adding color without sacrificing safety. A lot of people ask how we get those vibrant pinks, blues, and rainbows without using paints or coatings. The answer takes us straight into the science of materials — but in a good way, I promise.

We needed something strong enough to handle years of washing, dropping, and fork-tapping. We needed something food safe and childproof. That’s why I decided to use PVD. It's the method we use to give our dishes color without adding a single harmful thing.

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PVD stands for Physical Vapor Deposition, a fancy term for a process that sounds more complicated than it feels once you break it down. Unlike sprays, lacquers, paints, or powders, this technique doesn’t rely on harmful chemicals sitting on top of our stainless steel dishes. Instead, the color is created in a vacuum chamber where titanium is turned into vapor. That vapor bonds directly with the stainless steel at a molecular level.

What you end up with is a surface that looks brilliant but stays stable. The titanium nitride layer is thinner than a strand of hair, yet strong enough to resist peeling, flaking, or chipping. The color is part of the dish, not something sitting on top of it.

This technology isn’t new. Titanium nitride coatings are already trusted in some of the safest places imaginable — from surgical implants to food-contact tools. That gives us confidence that our dishes are both fun for kids and safe for everyday use.

Titanium nitride may sound technical, but it’s actually one of the safest and most stable materials we could choose. It’s biocompatible, which means the body accepts it without trouble — the same reason it’s often used in surgical tools and implants. When applied to food-contact materials, it holds up without breaking down, even after years of use.

Unlike paints or coatings, titanium nitride doesn’t leach chemicals, and it won’t react with food or moisture. That makes it especially important for children, whose developing bodies are more sensitive to exposure. Parents don’t need to worry about invisible risks hiding in bright colors.

Every Ahimsa dish begins with solid, food-safe stainless steel. That’s our foundation. From there, the color comes through a process that looks more like science fiction than kitchenware production. The steel is placed inside a sealed vacuum chamber where the air is removed, creating a controlled environment.

Inside that chamber, titanium is heated until it turns into vapor. Those titanium atoms travel across the chamber and land on the surface of the steel. With the help of heat and pressure, they fuse into an incredibly thin layer that permanently bonds to the dish.

The end result is a stable, durable color that becomes part of the metal itself. The core stays pure stainless steel, which is what keeps your child’s food safe. Because there are no paints, lacquers, or chemical coatings, there’s nothing to peel, wear away, or wash into your sink over time. Only stainless steel made more vibrant.

Bright dishes can make mealtime fun, but the way that color is usually added brings hidden risks. Most children’s dishware gets its color from plastic, silicone, or coatings made with chemical additives. Over time, those materials start to wear down. The dishwasher, boiling water, and even regular use cause them to break apart. That breakdown can release microplastics or leach harmful substances into food.

Children are especially sensitive to these exposures because their bodies are still growing. Even small amounts of chemicals can have a greater effect on them than on adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics has long recommended avoiding plastic for food whenever possible.

We solve that problem by sticking with stable, solid stainless steel and adding color through titanium nitride. Nothing softens, melts, or sheds into your sink. Parents get dishes that last, and kids get safe plates that are still fun to use.

Our dishes are built for the real chaos of family life. They go straight into the dishwasher without worry, come out clean, and never carry stains from spaghetti sauce or blueberries.

Kids love having their favorite cup or plate — the bright blue, the rainbow shine, the one they always grab first from the cabinet. That little bit of excitement makes mealtime smoother. Parents, on the other hand, appreciate something more practical: no cracking, no chipping, no need to replace a set of dishes every few months.

Not every piece of stainless steel is the same, and that matters when it touches your child’s food. We choose food-safe 304-grade steel, never recycled scrap or mixed alloys. That way, every dish has a consistent and trusted foundation.

Each product is designed by a pediatrician who knows what kids need at mealtime. From age-appropriate portion sizes to durability, the details come from real family life, not a factory catalog.

Our color process also sets us apart. Some companies use electroplating or powder coating to achieve a bright finish, but those methods can introduce toxins or wear down over time. We skip those risks. PVD with titanium nitride creates color that bonds onto the steel itself.

Ahimsa products carry the MADE SAFE® seal, making us the first and only dishware line to earn this certification. That label, in addition to our Safety Promise, is proof that every piece meets strict safety standards designed to protect kids’ health. MADE SAFE® screens for harmful substances including toxic chemicals, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and heavy metals. Nothing that fails those checks makes it into our dishes. Independent third-party testing confirms it, giving families confidence that mealtime is safe from hidden risks.

Healthy habits begin long before kids realize it, and mealtime is one of the best places to nurture them. That’s why our dishes are made to handle childhood in all its messy, wonderful forms. They can be stacked, tossed in a backpack, dropped from the table, and still come back ready for the next meal. The color is a built-in part of the steel, strong enough to last through years of family life and safe enough to serve every breakfast, lunch, and dinner along the way.