Fast Food Ice Machines

[Sis]

Fast Food Beverages Might be Worse Than Toilet Water

Twelve-year-old middle school student Jasmine Roberts' project won the science fair at her school. 

Her results were not what she expected, and have serious implications for everyone.

Her project compared the ice used in the drinks at five fast food restaurants with the water from toilet bowls in the same establishments. Seventy percent of the time, the ice had more bacteria than the toilet water.

In four of the five restaurants, ice from the self-serve machines had more bacteria than toilet water, as did three out of five cups of ice from drive-through windows. Sixty percent of the restaurant ice also tested positive for E. coli, which comes from the feces of animals and can cause serious illness.

While a certain amount of bacteria in water is considered harmless, no amount of E. coli is acceptable, however small.


TBO.com February 13, 2006

[MelodyB]

Ewwww

[SippinTea]

I'll second that! Eeeeewwww! 

[Raecheal]

lol - Did we really expect any less?

[Tricia Lea]

yuckkkkkkkkk

[Backseat Radio]

all the more reason to order your drink with out ice. 

[RandyWayne]

That doesn't surprise me in the least.  Mythbusters did an episode a year ago checking for a certain type of bacteria on toothbrushes in the bathroom.  To test they used a couple dozen toothbrushes placed all over the bathroom, including a control pair in an office down the hall.  Two of the brushes were kept right on the back of the bowl itself.

Guess which two brushes had the LEAST amt of fecal-chloral(?) bacteria?  You guessed it!  The brushes RIGHT OVER THE BOWL!  Even the brushes kept in the office had more!

[MelodyB]

I love Mythbusters!

[Jennie-lynnie]

*gag*

[Sis]

Well, it was a surprise to me. I thought the health department had some standards for the ice machines. If they just keep dumping in new ice and never clean the machine, I can see how it happened, but like I said, I thought there were Health Department standards there.

[randerzforya]

That's disgusting.

Our local news does a section called "Slime in the ice machine" and they tell all the restaraunts around town that were inspected and had slime in their ice machines..I think it's pretty sad that there are so many they have a regular section devoted to it.  But I guess since we have 9739847373 restaraunts around here odds are some of them are going to be dirty. I hate big cities.

[World Traveler]

Fecal Chloral bacteria on the toothbrushes? Ugh!!!

So, my teeth are not naturally yellow? 

[RandyWayne]

Well, on the toothbrushes..... and your clothing, furniture, carpet, kitchen table, basically everywhere.  But the good news is in that these minute amounts it really is not harmful at all. 

[SippinTea]

That's not exactly comforting. 

[Raecheal]

I'm so glad I have a biology degree - lol - bacteria doesn't exactly bother me.

[Ant]

I'm so glad I have a biology degree - lol - bacteria doesn't exactly bother me.

I'd love to see the reaction on people's faces if you said that before serving them a home-cooked meal!

Do they find your intelligence far too intimidating for their bacterial existence? "Game's up, boys! This one's got a B.Sc. (Hons. Biol). Let's look for an engineer instead!"

[Raecheal]

Nut.   It's a good thing I don't serve home-cooked meals very often. But there's what.. something like at least 1000 bacteria per every cm cubed. lol - Obviously I don't remember the exact number.

I tend to come across as  more insane than intelligent so I'm not worried about intimidating - although my height is highly intimidating I hear.  I can't believe you're insinuating engineers are somehow better.

[Tricia Lea]

I'm so glad I have a biology degree - lol - bacteria doesn't exactly bother me.

I'd love to see the reaction on people's faces if you said that before serving them a home-cooked meal!

lolol

[upcchris]

I'm so glad I have a biology degree - lol - bacteria doesn't exactly bother me.

I'd love to see the reaction on people's faces if you said that before serving them a home-cooked meal!

Do they find your intelligence far too intimidating for their bacterial existence? "Game's up, boys! This one's got a B.Sc. (Hons. Biol). Let's look for an engineer instead!"

BOL right

[sarahbee]

ah.. it's an old post.. but I'll post anyway..

I worked in a McDonalds.. and.. I don't know if this is how it's getting nasty.. but I've observed the carelessness with the ice.. where I was, the ice was right beneath the soda in the drive thru area.. if someone came and got some soda from it and spilled it in the ice.. we'd remove it IF it was a dark colored soda.. but in a rush or whatever.. if it was sprite.. nah.. it was dirty.. lots of stuff got around it and as a result, in it.. so.. I can understand this..

[JakeLeonard]

Well, it was a surprise to me. I thought the health department had some standards for the ice machines. If they just keep dumping in new ice and never clean the machine, I can see how it happened, but like I said, I thought there were Health Department standards there.

When I worked for a convenience store (from May to September of this year), the manager was responsible for cleaning out the ice machine and the ice dispenser every month.

Corporate would be on her tail if she didn't. Odd that they won't allow the assistant manager do it.

[Jon_W]

yuck

Nasty