Summer time, time for frozen drinks, time, however, also for the dangers of food contamination for the ice cubes used in public places but also at home to refresh drinks intended to give us refreshment on hot summer days.
The alarm comes from INGA, the association that brings together the most important national manufacturers of edible ice, which has carried out a research, in collaboration with the Health Department of the Sicily Region and the Asp of the island, from which it is it emerged that about 1 out of 4 premises produces and uses ice that does not comply with the regulations, resulting in contamination due to a lack of hygienic attention in the production, storage and handling phases with possible negative effects on health, especially that of the weakest subjects, such as children and elderly. The investigation started from Sicily, an area traditionally linked to the production of ice, which at the moment is the only region to have dealt with the issue, drawing up an extremely useful regional plan for intervening on the problem, which is more widespread than one thinks.
In fact, not everyone is aware of the fact that edible ice, whether it is used as a refrigerant (for example in culinary preparations) or as an ingredient, must be considered a food to all intents and purposes - and therefore treated with the utmost attention to how it is produced , manipulated and stored - with the result that the general tendency is to underestimate compliance with hygienic standards and practices. In fact, ice can be contaminated by various species of bacteria and chemical agents due to the use of impure water and/or lack of hygiene during storage, handling and use, with consequences for consumers ranging from minor which can affect a healthy individual, with far more serious effects if children, elderly or sick people consume contaminated ice.
“Although the situation has improved compared to the past, there is still a long way to go, says Carlo Stucchi, INGA President. One operator out of four does not produce edible ice correctly. The fundamental step is to prevent situations with a high risk of contamination through conscious education in the production and use of ice, which still struggles to be considered a food.”.
Already in 2015, INGA had published the Manual of correct hygienic practices for the production of edible ice, approved by the Ministry of Health, a vademecum still the only one of its kind in Europe dedicated to deepening the hygienic and food safety aspects associated with the industrial production of packaged ice and the production of edible ice for self-consumption (on premises and at home). This was followed by publications of information materials for companies, sector operators and simple consumers, and of practical tools, such as the check-list for self-assessment by the operators themselves of their own ice production, up to collaborations with the Authorities and associations of the sector, with the primary objective of providing information, so that edible ice remains free of physical, chemical, but above all biological contaminants, and, therefore, safe for the consumer.
In particular, to better support the operators who self-produce ice, INGA has activated a close collaboration with the Italian Federation of Public Exercises (FIPE) – a collaboration of fundamental importance to ensure the wholesomeness and hygiene of edible ice.
Again this year there were many episodes involving small and medium-sized enterprises that did not pass the necessary food safety checks. But the risk is also high for home-made productions, which more and more families resort to in the hot summer months. This is why INGA has created a useful and practical handbook of rules to follow to make ice at home in complete safety: from correct cleaning of the freezer and ice trays, to storage temperatures and times, up to handling the cubes. To avoid the risk of contamination, both at home and on the premises, the advice is to rely on certified companies that produce packaged edible ice: the right way to better protect the market, but above all the health of the consumer.
