Last Saturday, a report by CCTV revealed that the total bacterial count in the edible ice from three major fast-food chains, including Zhen Gongfu, KFC, and McDonald's, exceeded the national standards.

The sanitation issue with edible ice has been a long-standing concern. In 2005, a random inspection was conducted on 57 large and medium-sized catering units within the jurisdiction. The test results showed that only 32 pieces of edible ice from 28 catering units passed the inspection, with a pass rate of 51.6%.

As the dog days of summer approach, sipping on a refreshing ice-cold beverage is a popular way for many citizens to beat the heat. Can you trust the ice-cold drinks served at restaurants in Xiamen?

Self-Operated Ice Making Machine for the Restaurant

Cleaning not performed in a timely manner

At 2 PM, customers queued up along the awning outside a milk tea shop on Zhongshan Middle Road. Staff efficiently took orders, scooped ice, added ingredients, shook, served, and sealed the cups. "The hotter the weather, the better our business, we sell over a thousand cups a day now, and it doubles on weekends," said Xiao Ding, an employee of the milk tea shop. The consumption of ice has surged as well.

"The company has requested us to get an ice-making machine that can produce a dozen pounds of ice a day. This amount is about right for winter, but it's definitely not enough for summer. Now, we have to buy ice twice a day from outside, and each time, it's five bags." said Xiao Ding. An ice bag containing 5kg costs 8 yuan, and it's usually sold in sets of five. When asked about the production license of the ice bought outside, Xiao Ding replied, "I'm only responsible for ordering and receiving the goods; the ice bags all look quite clean."

Xiao Ding also mentioned, during the store training, there were specific cleaning requirements for the food counter, tea buckets, and jars, but the ice machine seemed to be a blank spot. "I've been here for a few months, and I've never cleaned the ice machine."

Besides bubble tea shops, various dessert stores have found shaved ice to be a favorite during the hot summer months. "For drinks like slushies, we use these small, square ice cubes, but for shaved ice, we use large, round ice cakes," said the manager of a dessert shop on Fengqi Road. "We make this ice ourselves; we initially considered buying it from outside, but there are very few manufacturers in Xiamen that make round ice. It turned out that these ice-making machines are quite expensive, costing tens of thousands of yuan each. General small ice-making machines only cost a few thousand. So, we ended up buying one ourselves, and producing and selling it in-house gives us more peace of mind."

When asked about the cleaning of the ice-making machines, the official replied: "They are cleaned and disinfected regularly, but I'm not sure about the specific schedule."

A director of catering at a luxury hotel stated that most hotels produce their guest ice themselves, and the filter cores of ice machines are typically replaced every three to four months.

Underground ice factories often lack sanitation permits.

"Ice cubes are a simple food product to manufacture," said Mr. Yan from Xiamen鑫三阳. "However, since they are edible ice, it is necessary to apply for a business license according to food industry standards, and then obtain a health permit from the health department and a food production permit from the quality inspection department." Mr. Yan added, "Last month, the quality inspection department came to take samples, and each batch of ice cubes we send out also has its own inspector conducting checks."

Just connect and turn on the water valve, and the machine will continuously make ice. The size of the ice cubes and the ice-making speed are pre-set. Due to maintenance issues with the ice-making machine components, the manufacturer recommends disinfecting at least once every two weeks, and using filtered water for ice-making.

Our filter cores are replaced every two weeks, and the ice machines are cleaned daily, Mr. Yan said. However, many underground factories not only lack the necessary food production license required for a food production enterprise, but also fail to regularly clean the环境卫生 and ice machines.

A small ice-making factory manager stated, "The cost of a bag of ice is less than 2 yuan, electricity costs 1 yuan, the bag itself is 37 cents each, and the filter cartridge ranges from 300 to 500 yuan each. Add labor costs, and the water is just tap water, with almost no additional cost." However, before becoming ice cubes, the tap water hasn't undergone the necessary filtration and sterilization processes.

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Ice is also a food, and water treatment is a crucial aspect of ensuring hygiene.

The GB2759.1-2003 "Hygienic Standard for Frozen Drinks" explicitly stipulates the allowable colony counts, coliform bacteria, and pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus) in ice for consumption. In accordance with the "Food Safety Law" and its associated regulations, ice production and catering enterprises are required to regularly conduct self-inspections of their production site's hygiene conditions.

In accordance with national regulations, water used for ice-making must undergo professional disinfection and filtration. Water treatment is a crucial step in ensuring water quality, involving multiple processes such as coarse filtration, fine filtration, ultrafiltration, microporous filtration, and ultraviolet sterilization. Moreover, ice cubes must pass random sampling inspections and be deemed合格 before they can be sold.