Measures for controlling safety of crushed ice and tube ice in developing country

Contamination of pathogens in crushed and tube ice is a public health concern in many developing countries, calling for the development of practical preventive measures to reduce microbial and chemical contamination. By applying principles of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), data on production and distribution processes in 11 ice-making plants in different provinces of Thailand were obtained. Results showed that producers of both ice forms lacked knowledge on water treatment and disinfection that could cause microbial contamination. Other sources of microbial contamination were from condensate in tube ice production and from dirty sacks used in ice transportation. A chemical hazard also was found in crushed ice due to chromium contamination in an anti-rusting agent.