UPDATE: We have added Starbucks Hong Kong’s official statement below.
The government has ordered US coffee giant Starbucks to stop selling cold beverages at a Causeway Bay outlet after excessive coliform bacteria was found in its ice.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) collected the ice sample from a Starbucks store on the first floor of Fashion Walk, on Paterson Street. Test results showed that the sample contained 1,200 colony-forming units per 100ml, 11 times more than the maximum acceptable level listed on the Microbiological Guidelines for Food for loose edible ice from retail outlets.
According to the CFS, the affected ice was only used at that specific Starbucks location.
A spokesman for the CFS said the excessive bacteria levels indicated unsanitary conditions or poor hygiene practices during, or after the production of ice. However, he added that consumption would not lead to food poisoning.
The coffee company has subsequently been ordered to stop selling cold drinks with ice cubes at the relevant store. A Starbucks spokesperson reached out to Coconuts Hong Kong to say the store has temporarily stopped serving all iced beverages “out of an abundance of caution”. “The store has also been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. We want to reassure our customers that we take hygiene and cleanliness extremely seriously,” the statement continued. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers. All Hong Kong stores have received updated training on our high standards of hygiene including ice handling. We are cooperating fully and following up with the [government].”
GP Dr. Daniel Chu told Oriental Daily that people with weaker immune systems like children, elderly people and patients with chronic illnesses could get sick easily after consuming the ice. People who experience cold symptoms such as chills, fever, low appetite, or vomiting and diarrhoea, should seek medical treatment as soon as possible, he added.
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