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Together with the culminating season of sales of ice cream and chilled beverages, inspections of the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) of the above-mentioned assortment culminate as well. Inspectors focus, among other things, on compliance with safety and quality parameters of scooped and soft whipped ice creams and ice used into beverages, including equipment for their preparation. Inspectors carried out inspections mainly in confectioneries and further public catering premises.

Ongoing results of inspections carried out in this season showed that a number of operators still failed to follow prescribed production procedures and a significant part of the samples taken did not comply with legislation requirements, especially as regards ​​limits for the presence of bacteria. In the period up to 31 July 2020, a total of 30% of ice cream samples and almost 43% of ice samples for beverages failed.

In 2020 (until 31 July 2020), CAFIA inspectors have evaluated 64 samples of soft whipped and scooped ice cream so far, out of which 19 (approximately 30%) did not meet hygiene limits. As regards ice cream samples, laboratory analyses confirmed numbers of colonies of Enterobacteriaceae family bacteria above the limit. During the inspections carried out in 2019, 37% of the evaluated samples failed to comply with legislation requirements compared to 30% in 2018, and 26% in 2017. The main cause of the unsatisfactory results can be considered insufficient sanitation of ice cream production equipment as well as contaminated raw materials, the assessment of which often consists in visual inspection by food business operators only. Insufficient staff training can also play a role. One of the characteristic causes of the problem with soft whipped ice cream is undesirable practice of operators consisting in returning ice cream into to the machine the next day and not disposing it at the end of the previous day. This procedure may cause transmission of bacterial contamination from the machine into the ice cream mixture and back.

In this season (again by 31 July 2020), CAFIA inspectors have completed evaluation of 21 ice samples used into beverages so far, out of which 9 (approximately 43%) did not meet health or hygiene limits. The monitored parameters included occurrence of Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, enterococci, coliform bacteria and bacterial colonies. During the inspections carried out in 2019, 40% of the evaluated samples failed to comply with legislation requirements while 47% failed in 2018, and 45% in 2017. The main cause of the unsatisfactory findings can be underestimation of hygiene practice during the production of ice and ongoing disinfection of ice makers.

The results of this year's and previous year’s inspections show that a significant part of operators still significantly underestimates the risks related to neglecting of hygiene procedures during production, storage and sale of this assortment, and related violation of hygiene limits for microorganisms. However, the share of non-compliant samples cannot be generalised for the entire market, because CAFIA selects the samples according to a sophisticated risk analysis and problematic establishments are therefore checked more frequently. However, even problem-free operators are checked, albeit in a lower frequency.

The number of samples evaluated so far is slightly lower compared to the previous years due to the later start of the sale season.

In establishments where CAFIA inspectors took the unsatisfactory samples, ban on the use of equipment was imposed on the spot (e.g. ice makers, ice cream machines and related tools) and the operator was ordered to perform sanitation and subsequent microbiological analysis by an accredited laboratory. The inspectors will allow using the equipment again only after a satisfactory result of the analysis.

CAFIA will initiate administrative proceeding on imposition of a sanction with the operators concerned.

Article by: Mgr. Pavel Kopřiva – CAFIA Spokesperson

12^th July 2020