I’m not a big soda drinker. I’m just more of a “savory” than a “sweet” person taste wise. However, if I ever do have a soda, it will be a fountain Diet Coke because I have always preferred the taste of a well-mixed fountain beverage over soda in a can or bottle. Well, there’s some bad (but unsurprising) news for me and all of the other fountain beverage aficionados out there. A study done in September on soda fountain drink dispensers came back with some not great results.
The study, which had similar results to one that was done in 2010, revealed that 41% of the dispensers tested positive for being contaminated with coliform bacteria and 25% had a water temperature conducive to growing organisms called biofilms. E-Coli is an example of a coliform bacteria, and the study says that biofilms “can harbor pathogenic microorganisms and therefore pose threats to human health and public safety.” Soooo, that’s great. In lieu of these results, Yahoo Life put together some “the more you know” type info about soda fountain cleanliness and all of the fun, gross things that can grow on them if they’re not properly cleaned.
In theory, soda fountains should be sanitary: As with most restaurant equipment, there are strict guidelines for keeping soda fountains clean. According to Katie Heil, food and beverage content manager for Certus, they should be “sanitized as often as the fountain manufacturer recommends or as often as necessary to prevent buildup of grime or mold.” Heil also noted that most manufacturers, including Pepsi and Coke suggest that “nozzles…be removed, cleaned, and sanitized daily” and that “syrup connectors” (the pieces that connect the soda syrup to the soda machine lines) should be “cleaned and sanitized weekly.” If restaurants follow these regulations, the soda fountains should be sanitary and safe to drink from.
However… According to Heil, “many restaurant chains address daily cleaning…(of) soda fountain nozzles and exteriors as part of…closing procedures.” This is their way of trying to ensure that daily sanitization actually happens. But restaurants are busy places, full of equipment to clean, and there’s often limited staff. “At understaffed restaurants, tasks like cleaning soda fountains are less likely to be completed than tasks that contribute to the visible cleanliness of the facility,” says Heil. In other words, just because the job is on the daily cleaning list doesn’t mean it’s actually happening. And if it doesn’t happen—or is done incorrectly—all sorts of disgusting things can build up inside the soda lines and nozzles
Eeek, E. Coli: Fecal bacteria is one of the scariest things that can grow inside a soda fountain. In the alarming 2010 study, nearly 50 percent of the 90 soda fountain beverages taken from Virginia restaurants “tested positive for coliform,” a bacteria indicating possible fecal contamination. Several samples tested positive for E.coli, while others tested positive for Chryseobacterium minigosepticum, a bacteria that can easily sicken infants and those with weak immune systems. There were no foodborne illness outbreaks in Virginia at the time of the study, but the authors noted that the findings were still “of considerable concern” because they suggested that “more pathogenic strains of bacteria could persist and thrive in soda fountain machines.” In other words, soda fountains can easily become breeding grounds for hosts of deadly bacteria.
Omg, black mold: In 2017, a story by Fox revealed that Florida state health inspectors had discovered “slimy black and green slimy mold-like substances” in soda fountain nozzles during surprise inspections at a dozen local restaurants. Mold grows in high-moisture environments and feeds on sugar, so it’s not surprising that it would thrive in uncleaned nozzles or lines.
Bugs! Bugs are drawn to sugar, and soda fountains, with their syrupy lines and sugary nozzles, are an absolute sugarfest. If regularly cleaned, the residue never builds up enough to attract bugs; unattended, they can become a bug’s favorite snacking ground. In one such story, former New York City restaurant server Rob Gunther described opening the top of the soda fountain one day, only to see “dozens upon dozens of cockroaches…running around.” He describes it as “one of the grossest things I’ve ever seen.” Of course, that’s just one example, and not all soda fountains are infested.
Bottled drinks, FTW: Many soda fountains are perfectly sanitary and safe to drink from. But some are definitely not. Short of personally inspecting a machine and taking a bacteria sample of its soda, there’s no way to tell for sure, and that feels like a lot of work and stress for a carbonated beverage. Our biggest takeaway? Follow the advice of restaurant consultant Virgil Cicco and order a bottled drink instead.
Honestly, I’ve always thought public water fountains were gross and have been iffy about taking Costco samples, but now this study also has me questioning other things that I never stopped to think about before. What if you get a draft beer from a pub or coffee from a dispenser? I’ve always suspected the lemon and lime slices they put in your drinks are probably full of germs and opt out of them, but now I’ll wonder if the water itself is clean. Meh.
I looked at the study with my layman eyes and it looks like their test samples came from fast-food restaurants in Eastern Coachella Valley. They were collected from either the water spigot of a self-serve machine or after asking a staff member for a fountain water sample if they weren’t available as self-serve. In those bigger chain restaurants, it doesn’t surprise me that the fountains aren’t cleaned or maintained as well as they should be. I know bacteria is all around us, including on our toothbrushes, but this feels like when you learn about dust mites in middle school. Knowledge is power, but sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
Photos credit: Leah Kelly on Pexels and via Instagram
We stopped at a convenience store yesterday that had digital screens on the Icee machine next to each nozzle that indicated its next cleaning cycle. The nozzle that said it was ready to clean wouldn’t dispense that flavor. That made me feel a little better about getting my frozen coke.
I worked at the Barnes and Noble Cafe years ago where we had a soda fountain. It was pretty much never thoroughly cleaned. This doesn’t surprise me at all. Yikes.
Yeah, years ago when i waited tables we had to “clean” the soda machines at closing. All we had to do was unscrew the nozzles and soak them – never flushed the pipes or anything.
I’d always heard about roaches getting into the lines (of the sugary sodas, anyway) but never believed it until i worked at one place and had it happen. The soda dispenser at the bar – the hand-held thing bartenders would use to add soda to drinks – wasn’t working so a repair guy was called. I eavesdropped as he told the manager how the line was clogged with roach eggs. Yet another reason to switch to water at restaurants.
Room temperature water only- the ice machine is the dirtiest thing in the building!
One of my fave studies was where they measured bacteria on surfaces on the MBTA subway system in Boston. Not surprisingly, they found a lot of nasty, nasty stuff. However, when they then tested stool samples of a cross section of Boston residents, they found a very similar bacteria profile to what was found on the local subway system.
Our immune systems are amazing. This study shows why you don’t get sick livig your day to day life, but invariably come down with a nasty bug while traveling. Of course, the immune compromised are in danger everywhere.
Also, the big bacteria danger is from ice. Curious if the sodas had ice or not.
Apologies if TMI. Worked for a civil engineering firm that built water treatment plants and still have a fascination with the field.
I’m a former bartender and wouldn’t touch the garnish tray with a 10-foot pole, nor the cream or milk used for drinks, nor any juices.
Huckle, you scare the hell out of me.
I’m not sorry to know about it. I have allergies to lots of molds, and roaches. I worked in a restaurant and they kept the lines clean, so I always assumed this was a task that was actually being done. But I should know better. I have definitely gotten some soda that smells of tastes “off.” It’s too late for me, by the time I’ve smelled or tasted it; the allergy response is already going to be happening.
I work at Panda Express, and, this is honestly shocking to me. Panda Express has rigid guidelines when it comes to cleanliness of the store and its employees. We clean the soda machines thoroughly at close EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. I couldn’t imagine not doing it. That’s just pure laziness on the part of staff, not cleaning things properly.
Many years ago (c.2001/2) I spent a summer working in the risk department at my then local hospital trust doing admin/secretarial work but it was pretty quiet (other than being based in the mental health services building so occasionally having some big disruptions from patients) so I read a ton of risk reports. The one about what they found when they tested water fountains put me off using them for YEARS. Now I travel with a refillable bottle but I’m still selective in where I fill it up.
I continue to refuse to get a fridge with a water dispenser built in.