ONTARIO: High levels of bacteria found in ice cream

20.jun.09
Toronto Star
Diana Zlomislic

Alarming levels of bacteria have been found in soft-serve ice cream sold
by vendors across Toronto.
The Star tested vanilla ice cream and frozen yogurt samples from 14
sites, including mobile trucks, street kiosks and retail chains.
Coliform bacteria exceeded federal limits at five of the vendors.
Toronto Public Health officials told the Star they plan to launch an
investigation.
Scientists say high levels of bacteria set off alarm bells that the food
product may be tainted. Additional tests, which the Star has ordered,
will determine whether the soft-serve contains pathogens such as
listeria and salmonella, which can cause serious health problems.
"The presence of coliform bacteria may indicate a problem with
sanitation or refrigeration," says David McKeown, the city's medical
officer of health.
"Until we do the detailed food investigation and inspection, we won't be
able to pinpoint where the issue is. We will follow up promptly to
inspect these vendors, to identify any sources of contamination, which
could cause illness."
Prolonged diarrhea is one common symptom that shows the presence of the
coliform bacteria in the digestive system.
Federal guidelines around food safety state that ice cream products
should contain no more than 10 coliform organisms per gram.
The highest level the Star found - at 3,000 coliform organisms per gram
- was purchased from JJ Dairy Cool, a mobile ice cream truck stationed
outside Toronto City Hall on Queen St. W.
Owner George Koutsaris, one of Toronto's original ice cream truck
vendors who's been selling cones for more than 40 years, says he prides
himself on the cleanliness of his operation.
Koutsaris worries the problem may lie with his supplier of the liquid
soft-serve mix, which he purchases by the bag. His daughter, who works
with him, said their supplier is buying products from a new wholesaler.
"We sanitize every night," Koutsaris told the Star's David Bruser. "Is
the bacteria in the machine or in the bag? I don't know."
The test results do indicate "there's a problem in how it's being made,
processed, delivered or served," says Dr. Gerald Evans, a microbiologist
at Queen's University.
He says physicians should instruct patients with weakened immune
systems, including children and pregnant women, "to be careful before
they consider ingesting it."
The second-highest result - 1,300 coliform organisms per gram - traced
back to an outdoor snack shack at the base of the CN Tower.
"I'm shutting down the machines until we get this figured out," said
Richard Silver, manager of Lemon Squeeze.
"We just passed a (city) health inspection on Monday."
The machines get a thorough cleaning every two to three days, he said.
Silver orders his soft-serve mix directly from a dairy he believes
provides a safe product.
A lab in Greater Toronto accredited for microbiological testing analyzed
the samples, which the Star collected in a three-hour period on
Thursday. Vanilla soft-serve from each of the 14 vendors was placed in a
sterile, self-sealing bag provided by the lab. All samples were stored
in a refrigerated cooler and taken to the facility immediately after
collection.
Monitoring soft-serve products may prove trickier with mobile vendors
that don't have a permanent address. The city schedules an annual
inspection with truck vendors for licensing purposes. Some officials say
that's not enough to ensure the safety of food products sold within.