A series of academic studies and over a dozen documented outbreaks of foodborne illness demonstrate the risks associated with consuming packaged ice that fails to meet high standards for manufacturing.  Research has confirmed that ice produced and bagged at retail locations — convenience stores, liquor stores, fast-food restaurants and gas stations and self-serve vending machines — often exceeds acceptable levels of contamination.

History of Ice-Related Outbreaks

  • ​​1983 — 90 persons ill, 14 hospitalized in Iowa
  • 1985 — 17 ill residents St. Louis nursing home
  • 1987 -- 5,000 persons ill in Pennsylvania from commercial ice plants
  • 1992 -- Contaminated ice was a vector for spreading cholera epidemic in Peru causing almost 8,000 illnesses and 7 deaths.
  • 1994 -- Unknown number ill in Florida
  • 1999 -- 59 Factory workers sick with E.Coli from ice
  • 2005 -- Feces found in ice (CNN Anderson Cooper report)
  • 2006 -- Tampa, FL Science Fair: "Fast food ice is dirtier than toilet water"
  • 2006 -- 15 year old in Arizona dies from complications related to contaminated ice on golf course
  • 2012 -- Canadian study by CBC Marketplace E.coli  in hotel chain ice
  • 2014 -- One dead at UPMC ​from legionella traced to ice machine

Peer Reviewed Research on Packaged Ice

Cal Poly Study
In the most comprehensive study to ever look at the safety of packaged ice, researchers at the California State Polytechnic University concluded that retailers and consumers need to be aware of what packaged ice they are buying. A total of 156 packaged ice samples were collected from stores in Southern California. Samples of the packaged ice produced on-site at retail locations were collected, analyzed, and compared with packaged ice produced by members of the International Packaged Ice Association (IPIA), which is manufactured according to the industry-leading Packaged Ice Quality Control Standards (PIQCS).

While ice produced at retail locations consistently often exceeded acceptable levels of mold, staphylococci (the source of staph infections), and E. coli, all ice manufactured according to PIQCS standards showed 100% acceptable rates.
University of Georgia Study
University of Georgia researchers examined the microbiological quality of packaged ice produced and bagged at retail locations and compared those results with ice produced by manufacturers that comply with the PIQCS standards.  It is apparent from the study results, as you will see, that sanitary practices in producing and packaging ice are not being followed by many retailers and vending machines.  

While researchers found that ice produced under the PIQCS standards was void of harmful bacteria, over 25 percent of the ice samples from retail store producers and self-serve vending machines showed unsatisfactory levels of contamination.  According to the report, “Consumers who buy this ice (non-IPIA) should also be educated about the risk they take by purchasing this product and ways they can also prevent cross-contamination in their homes.”

Other Notable Studies

  • 1992 — University of Iowa: 8 samples (36%) exceeding the TPC limit, 15 (68%) with positive coliforms, and 13 (59%) with positive mold species.  All of the unsatisfactory samples did not comply with the IPIA’s PIQCS guideline.
  • 2004 — University of Georgia: Transfer of e.coli to Romaine Lettuce due to Contact water from melting ice.
  • 2011 — Science Direct:  One third of samples tested for total and fecal coliform spores.
  • 2016 — UNLV: 1 out of 7 bags tested contained E.coli.
  • 2017 -- Clemson University: "Ice is a particularly effective conveyor of bacteria. When hands were contaminated with E. coli, the bacteria were transferred to the ice 100 percent of the time.”
  • 2017 -- BBC News:  43% of Samples from three coffee chains (Starbucks) had “concerning levels of bacteria – and fecal contamination.
  • 2017 -- BBC News: Fecal contamination at Fast food:  30% at McDonalds, 60% at Burger King and 70% at KFC