Soda Fountain Machines May Dispense Harmful Bacteria, Study Finds

Posted on January 8, 2010 in Consumer Goods, Health & Medicine, Recent Studies

Soda fountain machines in fast-food restaurants may be spitting out potentially harmful bacteria along with Coca-Cola and other beverages, researchers say.

A Hollins University study of 90 beverages dispensed from self-serve and worker-operated soda fountain machines in fast-food restaurants found an alarmingly high level of bacteria linked to gastric distress and other illnesses, according to a UPI news report.

The researchers studied sugary sodas, diet sodas, and water dispensed from 20 self-service and 10 personnel-dispensed soda fountain machines located in fast-food restaurants. What they found was “a significant number of the drinks had levels of bacteria, including coliforms, which would not be allowed in municipal drinking water,” UPI reports.

Bacteria in beverages from soda fountain machines, water, or food are leading causes of food poisoning. People infected with foodborne bacteria may suffer life-threatening symptoms, particularly the elderly or frail, young children, or those with weakened immune systems.

About 48 percent of the beverages in the study contained coliform bacteria, more than 17 percent contained Chryseobacterium meningosepticum, and about 11 percent contained Escherichia coli, the researchers said. Many of the forms of bacteria found were resistant to at least one type of antibiotic tested, the study found.

The study further found there was no difference in the amount of bacterial contamination between the types of beverage being dispensed or whether they were poured from self-service or personnel-dispensed soda fountains.