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  Packaged-ice bill should have passedPublished: March 09, 2011
Editor, Times-Dispatch: I manufacture a food product that disappears and becomes invisible to the eye. When people eat this product and get sick, they never think of it, and instead blame fish, chicken, or other foods. I am speaking about ice. This bagged, frozen water product should be treated as food. Consumers believe all ice is clean and safe to eat and drink - but that is not the reality. HB 2048, which I and others tried to get passed, was not about market share or unnecessary regulation. It addressed the potentially filthy ice that is made and bagged in all kinds of places (mostly back rooms of convenience stores). Many stores purchase a service, such as the one my company provides, but approximately 25 percent of them percent don't. There are also automated machines and self-standing vending machines that are cleaned only when they break - if then. Substances from any part of the human body can potentially be found in bags of ice sold under current lawful conditions. While the Virginia Department of Agriculture inspects ice makers in most stores, the code they use is a general food code that does not cover ice manufacturing well. I have no problem with the stores that choose to bag ice themselves, as long as they are serving a product that won't make consumers ill. HB 2048 was designed to give guidelines to help store owners bag ice sanitarily. My facility goes through monthly testing and expensive rigorous exercises, including multiple filtration and voluntary inspections to ensure we are serving the highest quality product - not just delicious and refreshing, but untouched and sanitary. We aren't asking everyone to live up to our standards. But, the next time you put ice in someone's glass, first wash your hands with soap and water! Mark Resnick. President, City Ice Company. Richmond. |
