Fast Food and Convenience Store Franchisees, Clean The Ice Dispensers!

The story of how toilet water is cleaner than ice dispensers at fast food and convenience chains is gaining traction. It started with a Florida schoolgirl who won top prize with a science project proving toilet water is cleaner than ice in fast food restaurants. She collected ice from soda fountains and asked for cups of ice at drive thru windows, testing the samples at a lab. She found that 70% of the time, the ice from the fast food restaurant's contain more E. Coli bacteria than their toilet water.

Now the story is spreading to convenience stores. CNN today has a video that shows Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's, Burger King and now 7-Eleven in various U.S. cities testing positive for fecal matter in their ice. (Some employees obviously are not washing their hands thoroughly when they go to the bathroom).

According to CNN, experts are saying the most common causes of ice contamination are poor handling and storage. The problem isn't necessarily getting worse but it is hitting the television and media circuit, and it is creating buzz. It's a story that is going to grow in the public's mind, with consumers possibly drinking less from the soda fountains, a traditional source of higher margins.

Here's what can be done. Franchisees and company stores can frequently clean up their ice dispensers. Train employees to wear gloves when handling ice and cleaning dispensers and storage bins. And corporate field operation managers should be checking dispensers when they visit and evaluate individual stores.