Have you ever seen people scooping ice for their drinks with their hands out of a cooler used to hold soft drinks? No cup or scoop was provided so they were just digging in? Now many people think that ice is cold and sanitary to the point that they think ice kills bacteria. Well it doesn't.

Actually, bacteria in ice are preserved, not destroyed, so they're often just waiting around until they get a chance to grow.

Handling ice with dirty hands or utensils is often a source of contamination. If someone uses a utensil or ice scoop and returns it to the ice, instead of storing the scoop outside the ice bin, contaminants can get on the ice and spread to beverages or foods through contact with the ice.

One summer there was an outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 at a drill team camp in Denton, Texas, infected 58 individuals and caused severe gastrointestinal illnesses in 41 of them. Investigators believe the outbreak occurred when campers used their hands to scoop ice out of an ice-machine and contaminated the ice.

In another incident 400 people in Anchorage, Alaska, were infected and one elderly man was killed by an outbreak linked to contaminated ice. A juice company had been hauling a truckload of unpasteurized orange juice from Mexico chilled with contaminated ice.

Many times, ice contamination is a result of mishandling ice and the products that store the ice. So, for example, it's important not to place one bucket inside another, because the bottoms of buckets that have come in contact with a contaminated surface—such as the floor---can spread the contaminant to the inside of other containers.

Keeping Ice Safe

• Here are some tips for keeping ice safe:
• Use ice-only containers for transporting ice.
• Avoid using containers that also are used for storing food or chemicals.
• Hang ice containers upside down to keep them dry and off the floor to prevent "nesting," which often causes buckets to become unsanitary.
• Use an ice scoop for dispensing ice.
• Store the scoop outside the ice bin and not in the ice.
• Clean and sanitize every utensil used in ice frequently.
• Wear clean clothing and wash and sanitize your hands before scooping, bagging or touching ice.
• Never eat, drink or smoke around ice-making equipment.