4 solutions to ensure ice safety in hotels, restaurants, and bars
Most people see ice much the same as they see tap water—that ice and water are “clean.” But the FDA says ice has to be handled like food since, if your staff members do not adhere to appropriate ice safety practices, both might be a source of foodborne illness. Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Volume 8, Section 1250.28 states: “All ice coming in contact with food or drink shall be stored and handled in such way as to avoid contamination.”
Most pathogenic species find it difficult to reproduce in ice used for cuisine and beverages in restaurants. But other bacteria and viruses have been found by scientific research to be able to survive cold or freezing conditions for a considerable length of time. Restaurant owners must make sure their ice does not become contaminated.
How Ice Gets Infected? How to get rid of a filthy ice maker machine?
Airborne particles, a contaminated water supply, food handlers, or filthy commercial ice maker machines may bring in pollution. But human mistakes mostly lead to contamination in hotels, restaurants, and bars. The greatest danger is merely incorrect ice treatment.
Your personnel need to be trained in correct ice safety solutions above all else. Food-borne disease can be caused by contaminated ice. With regular cleanings, periodic comprehensive disinfection by a professional, consistent maintenance, and, obviously, training, lower your risk. Lack of regular inspections, exposure to bad sanitation, and inappropriate ice handling are among other elements contributing to ice pollution.
Because of insufficient automatic ice machine cleaning and sanitation, you don’t want your hotel or restaurant guests getting ill. Although it’s up to you to train your staff in appropriate ice safety solutions, expert cleanings could also help lower the possibilities of inadvertent contamination.
For all commercial ice maker machines, you need to do at least two professional cleanings on all the equipment. You may need to offer extra expert deep cleans if your commercial ice machine is in a high yeast environment (pizzerias and breweries, for instance) or if your water source is from a well. Apart from assisting us to comply with ice machine regulations from inspectors, our cleanings also reduce costly future ice machine fixes such ice maker freeze ups or a stopped-making-ice ice maker. Furthermore with more ice cube production than a filthy ice machine, clean ice makers have superior performance.
Four Actions You Might Take Today to Safeguard the Ice of Your Company
Restaurant owners and managers must be aware of the following points and routinely self-inspection should be carried out to spot problems in order to lower the possibility of ice being a source of foodborne illness:
1. Instruct Your Restaurant or Bar Staff on Correct Ice Safety Measures
Always wash your hands before getting ice from the ice machine to preserve cleanliness and guarantee the safety of ice handling. When using the ice scoop, grasp only the handle—avoid touching any other portion of the scoop—and never touch the ice directly with your fingers. Ice should only be spooned into glasses or cups; any extra ice should not be tossed into the ice machine or garbage. Except while ice is being cleaned, the doors of the commercial ice machine should remain closed to help avoid contamination.
Along with the scoop itself, which should be kept outside the machine in a clean, specified container, regular cleaning and sanitizing is necessary. The ice machine should never be used like a refrigerator; no food, beverages, fruit, or any other products should be kept inside. The ice bin should only have unopened, clean ice ever kept there. The ice machine needs regular maintenance and cleaning; any problems found must be quickly rectified.
2. Routinely Examine, Clean, and Sanitize the Ice Maker Machine
Other ice safety measures include doing light cleaning and sterilizing every few days and routinely inspecting the machine for visible dirt, grime, or mold. This differs from the professional, thorough cleanings. Light cleans maintain more hygienic, high-use surfaces devoid of debris, hence staff members don’t inadvertently spread germs to other workers or to the ice supply.
Examine the outside of the device. Make sure the door, handle, and hatch of the ice machine are spotless and in good working order. High-use surfaces outside of the ice machine can be wiped down using any EPA-approved ice machine disinfectant.
Search the machine for any traces of scum, slime, or mold growing. Should mold or slime be seen, clean at once following the manufacturer’s instructions. (Suggestion: All ice should be taken from the ice bin and disposed of during cleaning to prevent cross contamination by chemicals.)
Staff should regularly clean an ice maker with a normal process. The process may be as basic as running a sanitizing solution through the cycle, then two rounds of ice, then throwing away that ice before making drinks and food. Include this in your daily cleaning schedule!
3. Routine Ice Maker Machine Maintenance, Deep Cleaning/Sanitizing, and Service
A skilled technician should service an ice machine at least twice year. This calls for deep cleaning, disinfection, and sanitizing in addition to the ice machine’s disassembly for inspection. Professional execution of this sort of inspection and cleaning is required.
4. Other Variables to Take Into Account for Commercial Ice Machine Cleaning and Sanitation
Biofilms are created when microorganisms like bacteria develop together and secrete a matrix of polymers to protect surfaces including food and ice machine walls, trays, etc. Consider the bacteria making a secretion to create a ‘bionic blanket’ covering themselves and shielding them from assault by chemicals including cleaning and sanitizing products.
Pathogens like Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and Shigella can live within the biofilm and cause spoilage or infection upon liberation later. Regular cleaning and sanitizing of every food, beverage, and ice contact surface is the best approach to stop biofilm development. If biofilms have already formed, surfaces have to be manually cleaned by scrubbing and then sanitized to kill the bacteria to guarantee a clean and safe food, beverage, and ice environment.
