The BBC show took samples of ice and water from 10 branches each of the five chains, with tests revealing faecal bacteria at levels “too high to count” in all of them.
“Stories like this happen far too often,” explains Mr Rees. “Despite dangerous bacteria being regularly discovered in ice, operators seem to be continuing to let cleaning schedules slide. But ice is a foodstuff, and should be treated as such.”
There are numerous factors that could result in ice being contaminated. One of the easier things to overlook is mishandling by front of house staff. While chefs and food handlers are usually aware of the importance of cleaning their hands before touching food, basic hygiene training is sometimes overlooked for front of house staff, or forgotten about in the daily bustle of work.
Ice should never be handled with bare hands; only tools like tongs or scoops should be used, and those tools should be cleaned and sanitised at least once a day to prevent a build up of contamination. While human contact is the largest vector for bacterial transmission, it can also come directly from the air. Ice containers should have lids in order to minimise those risks.
The importance of keeping your ice machine clean cannot be overestimated. Establishing a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule should protect against contamination and, when done correctly, will not add much to your staff’s existing workload.
The schedule needs to be broken down into three different stages: daily tasks, monthly tasks and those that need doing every six months.
The daily cleaning tasks include sanitising any scoops or tools used for removing ice from the bin. These tools should not be stored in the bin. Next, wiping the external surfaces of the ice bin with food-safe sanitiser, with particular attention paid to the areas touched in the process of opening the bin. Finally, a visual inspection to ensure no contaminants have entered the storage bin. If there is anything present, the ice needs to be discarded and the bin fully cleaned.
The monthly tasks include a full and deep clean of the machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. This involves switching it off and emptying it completely first. Air filters should also be removed and cleaned at this time.
Every six months, replace the water filter cartridges. This will help prevent limescale from building up, guaranteeing crystal clear cubes as well as preventing bacteria from the incoming water supply.
Of course, your cleaning procedures can be comprehensive on paper, but if your staff are not trained properly and made fully aware of the risks of serving contaminated ice to customers, it is totally irrelevant. Making sure they understand the importance of keeping your ice machine clean is an important step in the process of ensuring that these kind of stories stop occurring.
Full cleaning guides can be downloaded from the Scotsman Ice website here: https://www.scotsman-ice.co.uk/downloads/
The site also features a series of videos which demonstrate exactly how to clean various ice machines.