Consumer Tips

Having a Party? Follow these guidelines for success:

  • In cocktails, soda or wine, plan for 0.25KG of ice per person. Make sure the dispensing container (ice bucket) is clean and sanitary. Ice is a Food and can harbour bacteria from an unsanitized container.
  • To cool 1 carton of canned/bottled drinks, 30-36kg of ice keeps it cold for 6-8 hours in a cooler box. (2 bags of 18kg)
  • To cool a onebarrel of beer, 30-36kg of ice keeps it cold for 6-8- hours.
  • For high temperatures and humidity, be sure to get and extra bag or two!
  • When handling ice, a clean and sanitized ice scoop should be used. No bare hands please!
  • For Blended drinks, use the recommended amount of ice. Make sure again, that the blender is clean and sanitized and that the ice is not transferred to the blender with bare hands please.

Ice Information you’d want to know:

  • First and foremost, Ice is a food. In fact, people consume more ice, nearly two pounds per person per day, than they do bread.
  • Water and Ice, the ONLY Difference is Temperature. In recent national surveys, as high as 85% of all consumers said they were very concerned with the quality of their tap water. This explains the phenomenal growth of the bottled water category. If you don’t trust your tap water, than how can you trust the ‘frozen water’ made in your freezer at home?
  • Ice can go bad. Because it is a food, ice can become contaminated with bacteria and/or viruses that can cause illness. Many people believe mistakenly that because ice is a frozen food product, that it cannot harbour bacteria. This is not true. Ice has been found to contain a wide spectrum of bacteria, from Salmonella and E. Coli to Hepatitis A. Because most people do not think of ice as a source of bacteria contamination, upon illness from a food product, the ice is normally the last and ‘forgotten food’ considered.
  • Be cognizant when consuming ice, of the manufacturing source. We recommend that you stay away from ice stored in open bins, as in some hotel facilities. As well, as from packaged ice produced in potential unsanitary conditions or with human contact, i.e., ice produced and bagged in the back room of convenience stores.
  • Taste and Odor. Do you value the flavour and taste of the beverages you consume? Of course you do. While some consumers realize the ‘cloudy freezer’ ice at home tastes ‘funny’, many do not consider the alternatives for ‘clear, tasteless and odourless ice. Ice made in the home freezer is not only cloudy from water impurities, but also absorbs the odours of the other freezer foods. Only the professional commercial ice producers provide truly taste-free, clear, and risk-free ice.