How Clean is the Ice in Your Drink?

Many people buy drinks at restaurants or convenience stores without a second thought about the cleanliness of the ice that keeps their drinks cool. Just because ice is frozen, doesn’t mean it cannot contain harmful bacteria. 

Ice is food and should be treated as such, but more often than not, it isn’t. Many vendors fail to clean their ice machines regularly, and even if they do, the ice is often handled inappropriately. The HPA says “Poor hygiene practices when preparing ice could create the opportunity for harmful bacteria to contaminate our food and drinks. “ 

When purchasing a fountain drink from a restaurant or convenience store, it is best to ensure that your ice is being handled properly. Here’s how you can usually tell whether your ice is safe or not:

• The fountain drink machine makes its own ice and is not touched by human hands
• If the machine does not make its own ice, or contains a scoop in which employees use to ice customer drinks, make sure the scoop is returned to the compartment outside the machine. The scoop should never be stored in the ice bin with the ice. 

Even these tips may not protect you from dirty ice. You may want to ask how often the ice machine is cleaned. When in doubt, skip the ice all together. 

Even bagged ice is not always safe, that is why you should always look for the IPIA logo when your purchase it. The FDA regulates the sale of ice but the IPIA has even stricter standards. The IPIA seal means the packaged ice consumers are buying meets the association’s strict quality and safety policy. It is safe to say that if the bagged ice you’re buying does not have the IPIA logo; you may want to find a bag that does. 

B&B Ice is a member of the IPIA and follows all FDA and IPIA standards. We are a Reddy Ice distributor and the water used to make our ice is filtered for use in the ice making process. We use several different types of filtration to ensure proper quality. All Reddy Ice manufacturing facilities are NSF inspected and certified by the IPIA. This certification requires inspection of more than 50 areas of operations. To ensure the utmost cleanliness and safety, our ice is NEVER touched by human hands. 

Is all bagged ice safe?

The average American consumer buys 4 bags of packaged ice per year – and we’re pretty sure Texans buy even more than that. But how do you know if the bagged ice you’re buying is safe? The FDA regulates the production of ice by ice distributors and yes, they consider ice to be food. The International Packaged Ice Association (IPIA) is another organization whose members must follow strict standards for producing bagged ice. 

Improperly manufactured ice can become contaminated from the use of impure water, contamination of ice making machines, and improper storage. This runs the risk of E. Coli and many other dangerous contaminants. 

When buying packaged ice, it is a good practice to follow these tips from the IPIA:

• The package of ice must carry the IPIA logo

• Ice must be clear in color as well as odorless and tasteless

• The bag must be properly closed and secure (no drawstring ties)

• The bag must have the manufacturer's name, address and phone number

• The bag must be free of any foreign objects

• The bag must have a product code

B&B Ice is a Reddy Ice distributor, and our packaged Ice adheres to all FDA standards. We are also a proud member of the IPIA.  So next time you’re out and need a bag of ice – grab a bag of B&B / Reddy Ice…. “The Clear Choice!”