Healthcare foodservice has a specific problem
Hospital ice machines grew Candida and mycobacteria in every sample
A 2022 study of hospital ice machines found non-tuberculous mycobacteria and Candida species in every ice and water sample taken.
Researchers sampled ice and water from hospital ice machines and found non-tuberculous mycobacteria in all 36 samples, at concentrations that varied with the machine's location and water quality. Several fungal species were identified, including Candida parapsilosis, an organism of concern in healthcare settings.
What the study did not find
A link to clinical infections. The authors were careful about that, and so is this article.
Why it still matters for food service
Hospital and care-home catering serves the immunocompromised. Ice from the same machines chills patient trays, dessert displays and drinks stations. Contamination that would be trivial elsewhere is not trivial here.
What removes the machine
A sealed, refreezable cold cell at −10 °C for eight hours. It never becomes water, never touches food, and is wiped and refrozen rather than scooped from a bin.