Ice is a pretty uncommon vehicle for a Salmonella outbreak, but that’s exactly what happened at the Brown County Fair in Mount Sterling, IL in the summer of 2024. A recent MMWR journal recapped the investigation, which was linked to contaminated ice in a beer can cooler.
In this outbreak, it was linked to an improvised cooler (a trough filled with ice). Volunteers touched the ice and cans with their bare hands, and didn’t have easy access to handwashing stations.
We have a few takeaways from this:
Salmonella in Illinois…shocker! We have had a TON of Salmonella cases investigated by the state of IL across our client base - more than every other state combined in 2025. It mostly comes down to a good state lab and an active state health department. But if you’re operating a foodservice establishment in IL, be aware that the counties and state work together and investigate lots of these small outbreaks.
Ice is gross. While it’s a relatively uncommon vector for Salmonella, in particular, ice is an often-forgotten food. E. coli, coliform bacteria, Staph, Vibrio and even fungi can grow in ice and ice machines. Don’t forget to clean your machine regularly, use and store your ice scoop properly, and treat any containers for ice as food containers.
Fun community events can be risky – don’t let food safety slip if you’re operating outside your restaurant. If you’re sponsoring a local event, operating a pop-up tent, or serving the community after a disaster, it can be easy to accidentally forgo standard food safety practices when you’re not in your usual restaurant environment. But your brand is at the same level of risk as ever - and your commitment to keeping your community safe should be just as high as always.
Many vaccines seem to have “off-target” benefits, such as lowering the risk of dementia. It’s another good reason for older people to get vaccinated.