The Ice Cream Shop Red Flag That's Honestly Pretty Gross (Don't Ignore It)

On average, most ice cream shops appear to be in mint condition (yes, pun intended). Picture pastel walls, spotless counters, and polished windows. Because of this, customers usually do not suspect that there may be some rather unsanitary conditions, such as scoopers in murky standing-water tubs, making your ice cream susceptible to cross-contact and you susceptible to foodborne illness.

Now, it's important to note that the ice cream itself is not the issue; it's what's passed on from scoop to scoop in the dirty water that's of concern. Aside from the possibility of being exposed to potential food allergens, especially for those allergic to nuts, using the same tub of water to clean the scooper between uses is also dangerous because of cross-contamination. In this case, cross-contamination occurs when dangerous bacteria and viruses transfer to what you're consuming from other foods, cooking utensils, or substances. As these microorganisms are too small for the human eye to see, it is difficult to determine when a food reaches the boiling point of danger.

Several populations face higher vulnerabilities to foodborne illness via cross-contamination. The elderly, pregnant people, and immunocompromised individuals are the most susceptible to risk. Despite bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes surviving in extreme, cold temperatures, making it difficult to guarantee 100 percent sanitation, several precautions can be taken to prevent foodborne illnesses in ice cream shops. These include following regulations passed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to Pew, roughly 600 million foodborne illnesses derived from contaminated food occur worldwide each year — 48 million of which occur in the United States alone. Because they are not cooked further to kill any bred bacteria prior to consumption, ready-to-eat foods such as ice cream have a greater probability of attracting contaminants, making prevention tactics of the utmost importance. 

One source of prevention for ice cream shops to ward off foodborne illness is investing in scoop showers. Scoop showers are exactly as they sound — while they come in different forms, they all ultimately clean residual food from ice cream scoopers. Rather than leaving scoopers in standing-water tubs, which are feeding grounds for bacterial growth, scoop showers rinse scoopers in between scoops, sanitizing them as much as possible. Not only this, but scoop showers can be as environmentally friendly as they are hygienic. Some scoop showers have automatic valves that shut off water, inevitably decreasing water consumption.

Even with scoop showers, ice cream shops should always uphold safety measures and regulations passed by the FDA. One regulation is the 1999 Food Code. A reference, check-list-like document for regulatory agencies that oversee retailer food safety, this acts as a code of conduct retailers should follow to obtain optimal cleanliness within their stores. Additionally, in 2015, the FDA passed the preventive controls rule, so that by law, all FDA-regulated food retailers are responsible for preventing contamination by identifying potential risks for Listeria and monitoring and minimizing the risks.