Yunlin sampled 13 ice cream and cold drinks that did not comply with regulations

Eating ice cream in the summer is refreshing and heat-relief. However, the Yunlin County Government Health Bureau announced the results of the first wave of random inspections of ice cream and cold drinks in 2012. A total of 13 products from 11 businesses did not meet the hygiene standards, with excessive bacteria or E. coli counts. Businesses that do not comply have been sent letters with a deadline to make improvements. If they still refuse to comply after re-inspection, they will be fined NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 in accordance with the law.

(Information provided by Yunlin County Health Bureau)

Since June, the Yunlin County Health Bureau has conducted health inspections on 58 commercially available ice products in its jurisdiction and found that one product had excessive levels of E. coli, four products had excessive levels of live bacteria, and eight products had excessive levels of both live bacteria and E. coli.

The Department of Health stated that excessive bacterial counts and coliform bacteria are product hygiene indicators. Quantities exceeding the standard indicate that food items are contaminated, which is mostly caused by poor water quality, poor hygiene in the manufacturing site, improper storage of finished products, poor personal hygiene of employees, and unclean washing of food containers.