Is there anything better than a refreshing ice coffee on a belting summer’s day? We know it’s winter, but cast your mind back…
Well yes, there is, and, not to be dramatic, but you should never ever ever drink ice coffees again.
BBC One’s Watchdog has found a “concerning” level of faecal bacteria – poo, basically – in the ice used at Starbucks, Costa Coffee and Caffe Nero in the UK after an investigation into hygiene standards.
The investigation found faecal bacteria, which could make consumers ill or cause infection, on seven out of ten ice samples in Costa, three out of ten ice samples in Caffe Nero and three out of ten ice samples in Starbucks. All three companies have taken immediate action following the findings.
“The level of contamination of faecal bacteria concerns me a great deal,” said Tony Lewis, head of policy and education at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
“The bacteria found are opportunistic pathogens – the source of human disease. These should not be present at any level – never mind the significant numbers found.”
After Watchdog contacted the chains with the findings, they all took action straight away, with Costa introducing new ice handling measures, Starbucks providing updated hygiene training to all staff and Caffe Nero launching a “thorough investigation”.
“We have moved quickly to conduct our own investigation into the claims about the stores you have identified,” said a Starbucks spokesperson.
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers.”
“We were disappointed with the findings, especially as these stores are all rated Very Good with the top Hygiene Rating of 5. It is extremely important to us that all our stores operate to high standards of hygiene at all times,” commented a Costa spokesperson.
A Caffe Nero spokesperson noted: “We are concerned to read the findings in your recent report and a thorough investigation is now underway and the appropriate action will be taken.”
30 coffee shops were sampled for the investigation, 10 of each chain, with four samples taken from a table, a tray, a high chair and ice in each shop.
At least it’s winter over here so no one in their right mind has been drinking iced coffees, right?!
This story originally appeared on Digital Spy
