I came across a very alarming article in CNN Health, about how researchers found “Nearly half of the 90 beverages from soda fountain machines in one area in Virginia tested positive for coliform bacteria — which could indicate possible fecal contamination.” Yup you read that right, “fecal” contamination. Bacteria in poop, sh*t, feces, whatever you want to call it, was found in their sodas. The researchers still don’t know how that got there but what they’re sure of is “Many of the soda beverages from the dispensers fell below U.S. drinking-water standards, according to the findings.”
Directly quoting the article:
“The large number of beverages and soda fountain machines containing E. coli is still of considerable concern… and suggests that more pathogenic strains of bacteria could persist and thrive in soda fountain machines if introduced,” the authors wrote.
Godard and her colleagues acquired 90 beverages of three types, (sugar soda, diet soda, water) from 30 fast food restaurants in a 22-mile area near Roanoke, in southern Virginia. They surveyed beverages from both self-service and employee-dispensed machines and the samples were tested.
There were no reported outbreaks of food-borne illness related in the Roanoke area at the time of the study.
They found that 48 percent of beverages obtained from soda fountains contained coliform bacteria, 11 percent contained E. coli (which are mostly harmless, but some can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia), and 17 percent had Chryseobacterium meningosepticum (which could sicken newborns or adults with weakened immune systems).
Ok, now you may say that is only in the US: that’s not happening in your country. Think again. If the fastfood chain you have in your country is US-based, then it’s very likely that their standards may be similar with that of the US : how they prepare their food, how they serve your drinks, and how they clean their machines.
How did the bacteria get into the drinks? Here’s what the researchers think:
“It could be from dispensing with a hand that wasn’t clean or using wet rags to wipe down the machine,” Godard said. “We haven’t done the work to really identify those potential sources and how these bacteria get established.”
One thing that amazes me about this news is, if it were really that dirty, why aren’t people having mass food poisoning? The researchers are not sure either, they’re probably still looking into it. The only reason I can imagine is that the soda or carbonated water kills the bacteria: heck, Coke was once suggested as a toilet cleaning solution.
So next time you drink that fastfood soda, have this little news in mind.
Original article source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/08/soda.fountain.bacteria/index.html
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[...] I came across a very alarming article in CNN Health, about how researchers found “Nearly half of the 90 beverages from soda fountain machines in one area in Virginia tested positive for coliform bacteria — which could indicate possible fecal contamination.” Yup you read that right, “fecal” contamination. Bacteria in poop, sh*t, feces, whatever you want to call it, was found in their sodas. The researchers still don’t know how that got there but what they’re sure of is “Many of the soda beverages from the dispensers fell below U.S. drinking-water standards, according to the findings.” Read more at My Health and Fitness Journal (http://myhealthandfitness.info). [...]