Ice like water from toilets!
Recent years have brought a lot of reports about ice produced by ice cube machines in bars and restaurants and home ice makers. The results of the samples are chilling. The samples have more bacteria than the water found in toilets. Daily Mail was one of the news websites publishing this hideous information. In 2013, it conducted an independent analysis of ice samples obtained from the most popular fast food restaurants. It turned out that both the pub and restaurant samples and the home samples contained a sizeable number of harmful microorganisms. The bacteria found include those from the Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter genera and Staphylococcus group.
Experts agree on one thing: the presence of bacteria in ice is due to human negligence during ice production, lack of knowledge, infrequent and inadequate cleaning of equipment, the use of inadequately prepared water in domestic conditions, and failure to follow basic hygiene rules.
In most of the articles we reviewed, including the Daily Mail article cited above, the experts agreed on one thing: the presence of bacteria in ice is primarily due to improperly cleaned ice-making machines.
Food and Nutrition Safety Act
The Food and Nutrition Safety Act has been in force in Poland since 28 October 2006. The food law is a set of legal acts establishing rules for the production and circulation of raw materials, food, and objects coming into contact with raw materials and food to the extent necessary to protect health and meet consumer expectations.
Can Bacteria survive in ice?
As a food product, ice must be free of microbiological contamination. There is a belief that freezing kills all microorganisms. While many types of bacteria indeed die, some are dormant and, once defrosted, spring back to life and begin to reproduce.
Can adding ice to a drink be harmful to health?
Many publications claim that adding ice to drinks, which makes them very cold, can irritate the throat and vocal cords, especially in hot weather. And this is undoubtedly true. Warm drinks are better in this aspect as they do not contribute to such complaints and have a much better effect on the digestive system. We all know this but still use ice cubes and will use them in future.
But you can make a choice and use the ice that is safe and will not cause any problems, such as digestive complaints.
Stowarzyszenie Producentów i Operatorów Certyfikowanego Lodu Spożywczego, (Association of producers and operators of certified food ice) KRS [National Court Register] No. 0000784552, REGON [National Official Business Register] No. 383424111, NIP [VAT] No. 7010927104 00-630 WARSZAWA, ul. POLNA 24/7
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