Ice Machines: The Most Overlooked Food Safety Risk in Your Venue
Ice Machines: The Most Overlooked Food Safety Risk in Your Venue
Most operators treat the ice machine as “set and forget” — until a customer complaint, a failed inspection or a black slime discovery forces a shutdown. Ice is the most consumed product in any bar, café or restaurant after water itself, and in Australia it’s legally classified as food.
That means the same hygiene, traceability and contamination rules that apply to your prep bench apply to your ice machine.
Why Ice Machines Breed Mould & Bacteria
Ice machines are dark, damp, sugar-and-dust prone, and rarely opened. That’s a textbook environment for biofilm. Common contaminants found in commercial ice machines include:
Black mould (Cladosporium, Aspergillus) — visible as dark slime on internal walls, water lines and drip trays
Pink yeast (Serratia marcescens) — appears as a pink film, common in humid Queensland kitchens
Listeria, E. coli and Pseudomonas — bacteria that can survive and multiply on ice contact surfaces
Limescale build-up — not a pathogen itself, but it shields bacteria from sanitisers and reduces machine performance
The danger: ice is added directly to ready-to-drink beverages. There’s no cooking step to kill what’s growing inside the machine.
Ice Is Food: What the Regulations Say
Under FSANZ Food Safety Standard 3.2.2, ice used for human consumption must be:
Produced from potable water
Stored and handled to prevent contamination
Made and stored in equipment that’s clean, sanitised and well-maintained¹
A contaminated ice machine isn’t a maintenance issue — it’s a food safety breach, and councils have closed venues over it.
Best Practice & Self-Cleaning Solutions
A manual ice machine deep clean is a 2–3 hour job involving dismantling, sanitising and re-commissioning. Most kitchens are meant to do it every 3–6 months. Most don’t.
A smarter option: machines with built-in cleaning cycles. The BREMA CB range, including the BREMA CB425A-HCQ-DP, includes AWS (Automatic Wash System) — a programmable wash cycle that runs internal sanitisation automatically, drastically reducing the risk of biofilm forming between manual cleans.
Whichever machine you run, your routine should include:
Daily: Wipe external surfaces, check scoop is stored outside the machine in a dedicated holder
Weekly: Empty and wipe out the storage bin with food-safe sanitiser
Monthly: Run a descale and sanitiser cycle (or AWS cycle on BREMA CB units)
Every 6 months: Full strip-down clean by trained staff or refrigeration technician — including water lines, evaporator, and curtain seals
Keep a cleaning log next to the machine. Inspectors ask for it.
Bottom line?
If you wouldn’t serve ice straight from your machine to your own family, your customers shouldn’t be drinking it either. When was your last deep clean — and is it documented?
See our full range of commercial ice machines including BREMA self-cleaning models built for Australian venues.
Browse our Commercial Ice machine Range
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Beer Tap Fridges, Upright Display Fridges, Wine FridgesBeer & Wine Fridge Double Door
$2,376.00 Ex. GSTUOM: EachProduct code: URGL097-AIn stock -
Wine Fridges
Dual Zone Wine Fridge Stainless Steel 126 bottles
Original price was: $1,980.00.$1,399.00Current price is: $1,399.00. Ex. GSTUOM: Eachuntil 31/07/2026Product code: URGM628-AIn stock -
Refrigeration & Ice Machine AccessoriesHOSHIZAKI Ice Storage Bin 348kg 1238mm B-801SA
$2,038.00 Ex. GSTUOM: EachProduct code: HL91000027#In stock -
Ice MakersHOSHIZAKI Undercounter Ice Maker 41kg/Day 452mm KM-40C-HC
$2,149.00 Ex. GSTUOM: EachProduct code: HL91000147#In stock -
Blast Chiller FreezersIRINOX EasyFresh Next XS Blast Chiller & Shock Freezer 10kg Per Cycle 535mm
$9,539.00 Ex. GSTUOM: EachProduct code: SKEASYFRESHNEXTXSIn stock -
Refrigeration & Ice Machine Accessories
MOFFAT Water Filter Kit For Icemaker Up To 250kg/Day TA17
$193.95 Ex. GSTUOM: EachProduct code: MOTA17In stock -
Refrigeration & Ice Machine Accessories
MOFFAT Water Filter Kit For Icemaker Up To 80kg/Day TA13
$148.50 Ex. GSTUOM: EachProduct code: MOTA13In stock -
Ice Makers
Polar C-Series Countertop Ice Machine 15kg Output 230V 150W 0.7amp
Original price was: $693.00.$599.00Current price is: $599.00. Ex. GSTUOM: Eachuntil 31/07/2026Product code: URCH479-AIn stock -
Upright Display Fridges
Polar C-Series Curved Door Display Fridge 235L 375W 2.3amp – Black
Original price was: $1,782.00.$1,590.00Current price is: $1,590.00. Ex. GSTUOM: Eachuntil 31/07/2026Product code: URDP289-A#In stock -
Ice Makers
Polar G Series – Countertop Ice Maker 20kg Output 230V 200W 0.9amp Single Phase
Original price was: $1,386.00.$1,199.00Current price is: $1,199.00. Ex. GSTUOM: Eachuntil 31/07/2026Product code: URGK031-AIn stock -
Beer Tap Fridges
Polar G-Series Direct Draw Beer Dispenser (1 Keg 1 Tap) Stainless Steel
Original price was: $2,376.00.$1,799.00Current price is: $1,799.00. Ex. GSTUOM: Eachuntil 31/07/2026Product code: URGE632-A#In stock -
Upright Storage Freezers
Polar Gastro Refrigerator Double Door Upright Stable Door 230V 600W
Original price was: $3,663.00.$3,490.00Current price is: $3,490.00. Ex. GSTUOM: Eachuntil 31/07/2026Product code: URDL709-A#In stock
Order Info
| Product Type | Min Order | Lead Time | Set Up Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pad Printing (Glassware) | 244 units | 2 weeks | Yes |
| Etching (Glassware) | 72 units | 2 weeks | Yes |
| Crockery (Robert Gordon - Australian Made) | 48 units | 12 weeks | Yes |
| Crockery (Australian Fine China) | 150 units | 4 - 6 weeks | Yes |
| Napkins | 24,000 - 72,000 | 8 weeks | Yes |
| Greaseproof Paper (Cut) | Carton 50 | 8 weeks | Yes |
| Disposable Coffee Cups | Carton 500 | 8 weeks | Yes |
| Uniforms | 1 | 3 - 4 weeks | Yes |
| Cutlery Pouches | Carton 10 | 12 weeks | No |
| Stamps for Disposable | 1 | 1 - 2 weeks | No |
| Ice Stamps | 1 | 4-16 weeks | No |
| Vinyl Wrapped Equipment | 1 | 4 weeks | No |
| Equipment Wrapping/Powder Coating | 1 | 6 - 8 weeks | No |
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