Ice Machines, Beverage Dispensers & Other Overlooked Food Safety Hazards
At the end of the spring semester in our campus food production lab, we’re fortunate to have the opportunity to hit pause and reset for the summer and prepare for fall—a luxury many foodservice operations don’t often get. During this time, we can deep clean, shut down equipment, and perform a thorough reset of the space. While some school foodservice programs may also have this seasonal window, many commercial kitchens operate year-round and rarely have the chance to step back in this way.
Among the many pieces of equipment that we focus on cleaning during this time are the ice machine and soda dispensers. We clean them throughout the year, too, but they are pieces of equipment that are sometimes neglected. I can see why some may forget about them. In food safety training, much attention is paid to keeping food at safe temperatures, avoiding cross-contamination, and ensuring hand hygiene. While the spotlight is often on cooking and holding procedures, some food safety hazards are hiding in plain sight: ice machines, beverage dispensers, and other equipment that’s easy to forget during daily cleaning routines.
Ice is considered a food under FDA guidelines, which means it must be handled and stored with the same care as any other consumable. Yet, ice machines are notorious for harboring mold, slime, and bacteria, often due to irregular cleaning and maintenance. Ice scoops left on top of the machine, hands reaching into bins, or contaminated utensils can all introduce pathogens. When was the last time you inspected the water line to your ice machine – or even more importantly, the filter? Just as with any surface, if they are not cleaned and sanitized regularly, the risk of contamination only grows.
In foodservice operations, ice is an important component of the service and production processes. It is used for both beverages and for cooling of food. Thus, it is important to be diligent in cleaning and monitoring ice machines.
…Food safety isn’t just keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold; it’s about the unseen risks that accumulate over time.
Soda fountains and beverage dispensers can also be a hidden hazard. Sugary syrups and low-acid liquids provide a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and yeast, especially in and around the nozzles and drip trays. These areas often go unnoticed in daily cleaning routines and can develop biofilms—thin layers of microbial growth that are hard to remove and can contaminate drinks. In most cases, the trays themselves are dark in color, often black, meaning spotting these biofilms is not easy to do visually.
Another issue arises with the internal tubing of beverage systems. Without proper flushing and sanitization, residue can build up, leading to off-flavors and microbial risks. In both commercial and institutional settings, ensuring that staff are trained to clean these systems according to the manufacturer’s specifications is essential.
Beyond ice and beverages, there are many overlooked surfaces that require consistent attention. Refrigerator gaskets can collect food particles and condensation, creating a moist, dark environment where mold and bacteria thrive. Handles of reach-in coolers, microwave buttons, and faucet levers are frequently touched but seldom cleaned with the same rigor as food prep surfaces.
Food safety isn’t just keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold; it’s about the unseen risks that accumulate over time. By creating comprehensive cleaning schedules that include non-obvious equipment and surfaces, and by regularly training staff on the “why” behind those practices, foodservice operations can protect both their customers and their reputations. After all, preventing illness doesn’t just happen on the line—it happens behind the ice machine, under the soda fountain, and everywhere in between. Risk Nothing.
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Getting Your Playbook for Food Safety Organized
As anyone who has ever worked in a foodservice operation knows, from the time food is received in your establishment to the time it is served to your customers, following proper food safety practices is crucial. What many don’t often think about is this time really should extend from the time the manager places their orders with their suppliers (including which purveyors you utilize), through the time the food is consumed – even if that consumption occurs off your premises and days after the original order was picked up by the guest. This is something that has certainly been highlighted by the pandemic as customers across the nation are utilizing take-out, curbside to go, and third-party delivery options more so now than ever before.
Getting Started with Building the Infrastructure
Hopefully in our first January blog, we convinced you of the importance of establishing an infrastructure within your operation to support a safe food culture. So, how does one go about doing this? Well, like any major project, break it into small bites. In our opinion, having a written guide for employees that documents expectations related to food safety basics of employee health and hygiene, temperature controls, and cleaning and sanitizing is the first step. Having this documentation serves as a reference for training and helps fulfill the mission of most foodservice operators which is to serve safe, quality food.
Food Safety Resolutions for the New Year
Finally, 2020 is in our rearview mirror and we can all turn the page to 2021! Resolutions for the new year might be more of the same from prior years (lose weight, exercise more, less screen time, etc.) OR you may have identified new practices to implement in your operation. If the latter, likely goals included some practices related to food safety – especially given the turmoil of 2020 and heightened concern by customers. It is our philosophy that attention to safe food handling practices is a win-win for any operation because of the direct relationship between food safety and food quality, which in turn leads to customer satisfaction. This past year has also demonstrated that attention to safety can affect the bottom line. Thus, the topic of our first SafeBites webinar for 2021 is on the topic of the return on investment of food safety, it is scheduled for January 20, so register now and please plan to attend.
To Toss or Not to Toss? That is the question.
Our first blog for the month emphasized the basic safe food practices needed to keep you and your guests healthy (and happy!), especially during these times of COVID. The impact of foodborne illness can range from an uncomfortable few days to hospitalization or death. Foodborne illness IS preventable and the steps taken to keep food safe also maintain quality of food, and ultimately profitability. Think of attention to food safety as part of quality control and a win-win business strategy. Knowledge about food safety can be helpful when controlling costs as making wise decisions when determining the fate of unserved food can affect the bottom line.
