Thaw tests turn up dicey bagged ice
By Laura Beil
Ice isn’t always nice.
Tests of 156 bags of ice sold in grocery stores, liquor stores and gas stations across Southern California found that 19 percent exceeded recommended thresholds for bacterial contamination. Researchers also found that 56 percent had detectable levels of mold or yeast. The research was presented in Boston June 17 at ASM Microbe 2016.
About 2 billion bags of ice are sold every year, according to the International Packaged Ice Association, which sponsored the research. IPIA sets ice handling standards, including requiring that ice contain fewer than 500 microbial colonies per milliliter of thawed ice.