{"id":48386,"date":"2022-06-17T07:00:42","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T05:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.errecom.com\/?p=48386"},"modified":"2022-11-18T09:52:34","modified_gmt":"2022-11-18T08:52:34","slug":"ice-cubes-and-bacteria-find-out-how-to-protect-your-customers-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.errecom.com\/en\/ice-cubes-and-bacteria-find-out-how-to-protect-your-customers-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Ice cubes and bacteria: find out how to protect your customers\u2019 health"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\tPeople don\u2019t usually give much thought to the ice that makes their drink frosty. \r\nBut the data found out ...  \t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ice cubes and bacteria:
find out how to protect your customers\u2019 health <\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA few months ago, a video recorded by an HVAC\/R technician went viral on TikTok as it showed the poor ice hygiene in some fast-food restaurants. Over 3 million views, 13k comments and nearly 80k shares. Do not order drinks with ice: this is the suggestion stated by the several newspapers which reported the news at the time. But is this the proper solution to recommend?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Reading Time: <\/span>4 min<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople don\u2019t usually give much thought to the ice that makes their drink frosty, and this is probably why they got so shocked about the news. The video recorded by the HVAC\/R technician @jantheman__<\/span><\/span><\/a>, who has more than 160,000 followers on TikTok, shows how dirty the water is in a restaurant ice machine. More precisely, he films a floating layer of brown-coloured dirt: a clear and worrying sign that the equipment has not been cleaned and sanitized for months (or even years). Unfortunately, this is not a case limited to one restaurant and it is a problem that concerns the entire world. Studies conducted by national and global authorities (such as WHO) have found that ice is the major cause of the infections and gastroenteritis<\/strong> contracted during travel in many countries around the world (including Europe).\n\nThe data found out from an\u202finterview conducted by The Huffington Post<\/a>\u202fwith Dr. Pritish Tosh (an infectious diseases physician and researcher at the Mayo Clinic) and Martin Bucknavage (the senior food safety extension associate at the Department of Food Science at Pennsylvania State University) are quite frightening.\nIn 2007, the Chicago Sun Times found that the ice used by almost 20% of 49 restaurants and hotel bars in Chicago was contaminated by high levels of fecal coliform. One 2011 study conducted on ice dispensers in Las Vegas food establishments found that more than 72% of the ice samples were \u201cpositive for presumptive coliform bacteria presence\u201d.\nThe examples could go on and on, but we probably all agree that it is better to stop here.

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The causes of ice contamination<\/strong><\/h2>\nIce can be contaminated by various species of bacteria<\/strong> (coliforms, enterobacteria, pseudomonas aeruginosa, escherichia coli, etc.) or chemical agents<\/strong>. Both, if ingested, can be harmful to human health and can make your customers sick.\n\nIce contamination occurs for two main reasons:\n