Would you accept drinking water retrieved from a toilet bowl? How dirty is ice at fast food restaurants? If you ask anyone, they will probably all say no. But did you know that the ice used in our drinks at pubs and restaurants may have an equivalent or even higher concentration of bacteria than toilet water?
This is more than just alarmist. There are more instances of edible ice contamination than we realized, as multiple international news articles have demonstrated.
Is Commercial Ice Dirty?
Wooders says most machines require professional cleaning twice a year. A 2011 study conducted in Las Vegas showed that about a third of commercial ice machines are breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria, and more than 70 percent contain signs that bacteria may be present.
Is Mcdonald’s Ice Dirty?
The E. coli found in human and animal feces were found in three out of 10 ice samples at McDonald’s, six out of 10 samples at Burger King, and seven out of 10 samples at KFC.
Is The Ice Dirty Machine?
JasmineRoberts won several awards and gained national attention with his conclusion that ice machine ice was dirtier than toilet water 70 percent of the time. In 2008, a local news affiliate found E. coli in 13 of 25 ice samples taken from Indianapolis-area bars.
How Often Do Restaurants Clean Ice Machines?
To prevent biofilm formation, the Food Safety Authority recommends that “it is best to clean the ice machine weekly, but no less than once a month”. But the FDA requires ice machines to be cleaned “as recommended by the manufacturer,” typically only two to four times a year. (And even that doesn’t always happen.)
How Dirty Is The Ice At A Fast Food Restaurant?
In 2013, a newspaper conducted an experiment collecting ice cubes from ten well-known fast food chains and announced that in six of the ten locations, the cubes “contained higher levels of bacteria than water samples taken from toilets in the same locations.”
How Clean Is The Ice At A Fast Food Restaurant?
But the project produced some disturbing results: Seventy percent of the time, the ice in the fast food restaurant was dirtier than the water in the toilet. The 12-year-old girl took ice samples from five restaurants in South Florida — from self-service machines and drive-through Windows.
Can Bacteria Live On Ice?
Bacteria and viruses like Listeria, E. coli, and Salmonella can survive the cold, which means they may survive in your ice cube. However, if proper precautions are taken, you can eliminate the risk of these contaminants being present in the ice you provide.
Is Ice Machine Making Me Sick?
Mold in ice machines is one of the greater risks of people getting sick from dirty ice machines. Contaminated ice can be affected by Salmonella, E. coli, and Shigella. The mold allows bacteria and fungi to grow into bacteria, which can make people sick.
How To Keep Your Ice Maker Mold And Slime Free
Investigate The Dim Area Thoroughly
Use a flashlight to inspect the interior area. This helps to see dim areas, such as around and inside the skates.
Check The Ice Maker Once A Week
Check for debris or slime, especially on the inside surface. The mucus can be removed by wiping with a towel dampened with disinfectant and wrung dry.
Increase Cleaning Frequency
Increase cleaning frequency as needed. Don’t wait for visible debris or slime. Refer to the machine’s operating manual for proper cleaning procedures.
In places where multiple departments share one ice machine, maintaining the machine can become slightly more complicated. In these places, it is important to specify which department is responsible for cleaning the machines and to ensure that regular schedules are followed. Otherwise, machines may go unnoticed because employees assume “someone else” is responsible for cleaning.
Carefully Check Cleaning Quality
Follow up any cleaning performed by suppliers or team members to ensure that surfaces are cleaned correctly and all debris is removed.
Conclusion
Ice production and handling should always adhere to the same high standards as the rest of our meals. Governments have created regulations for ice manufacturing and handling to ensure that edible ice must be produced, stored, and transported in clean and sanitary conditions as more and more research has shown the importance of edible ice safety as a result of numerous cases of edible ice contamination occurring worldwide. Ice makers and food and beverage establishments including restaurants, hotels, and bars are required to utilize sterile water, clean and maintain their equipment, and keep their staff members clean and hygienic.
