Fecal Bacteria in Fountain Sodas

A recent study was conducted on fountain soda machines in Roanoke, Virginia, and revealed that nearly half of the sodas poured from these machines contain coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria are organisms that are present in the feces of all warm-blooded animals and humans, and are commonly used as an indicator of sanitation in food and beverages. When any type of food or drink tests positive for this type of bacteria, it is usually an indicator of fecal contamination.

According to the study, 48% of the sodas, diet sodas, and water poured from the 30 local soda fountains contained traces of this bacteria. In addition to the coliform bacteria, 11% of the sodas poured tested positive for E. coli, which violated standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency for safe drinking water. These standards require all food and beverages to test negative for E. coli.

The National Restaurant Association issued a response stating that this case “isn’t representative of our industry and that our guests can safely enjoy beverages from dispensers and single-serve containers alike”. It is evident that the sanitation practices at these facilities fall below US drinking water standards. Regardless of whether or not this is an accurate representation of the industry, it is apparent that these restaurants were not being regulated properly.

All beverage samples were obtained from 30 fast food restaurants within a 22 mile radius of Roanoke, Virginia. They acquired samples from both self-service and employee-dispensed machines. Researchers remain unaware of how the bacteria got inside these soda machines. They suspect that employees were not washing their hands properly and contaminating the soda while dispensing it. They also stated that coliform bacteria could contaminate the wet rags the in which employees are using to wipe down the soda machine, therefore contaminating the machine.

I personally feel that, while it is imperative to have laws and regulations established regarding sanitation, it is even more important for these laws and regulations to be enforced. From the results of this study, it is clear that there is a lack of enforcement; no one is paying attention to whether these regulations are being followed. Although these results may not be representative of the entire restaurant industry, they do pose a threat to the average consumer. In addition, this study was performed strictly on traces of coliform bacteria and E. coli. The results make me curious as to other types of bacteria or germs that may be contaminating these machines that researchers did not test for.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/08/soda.fountain.bacteria/index.html