Is the soda in your mixed drink at the local pub safe? Maybe, maybe not. Here’s a video that demonstrates how to clean a dirty soda gun following the International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT) Cleaning Guidelines.
ISBT DAILY CLEANING STEPS
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- With a no rinse sanitizing wipe
a. Clean handle and sheathing. (Fig. 1)
b. Wipe down inside and outside of drip cup. - Wash hands with soap and water.
- Indicate completion by initialing on verification calendar.
What’s wrong with this process? Cross contamination can be deadly. Note the demonstrator is using sparkling clean new equipment unlike the dirty stuff you’ll actually find behind your local bar. He advises to clean the exterior hose and then “use the same wipe” to clean the interior of the drip cup. The drip cup is the holster that the soda gun sits in when not in use.
Here’s what could be on the outside of the hose:
- Food and drink spillage
- Bacteria and viruses from coughing, sneezing and hand touching
- Chemicals
Then you’re supposed to wipe the inside of the holster where the soda gun is inserted? How often do you think the soda gun nozzle that dispenses your beverage touches the holster on it’s way in? I don’t care if it’s a disinfecting wipe. Would you clean something under your sink and then use that same cloth to clean the faucet head where your water pours out? Why risk the possibility that really bad stuff is transferred from one surface to another?
Consumers should demand Sea Hawk Safety protected soda guns to mitigate these risks. The Sea-Gun automated ‘touchless’ cleaning system mitigates the risk of cross contamination by keeping peoples hands off the soda gun nozzle that pours your beverage, in addition to multiple other benefits. For example, the holster is made of an anti microbial material to inhibit the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew by up to 99.99%.
The Sea-Gun helps prevent fruit fly infestation. Fruit flies are a threat to public safety that have grown resistant to pesticides; they’re capable of transferring E.coli, Salmonella and Listeria and more to your food and other surfaces.
Soda guns are frequently cited for violations in Food Safety inspection reports. Mold, fruit flies and disgusting build up is common because the soda gun drips out a little bit of soda each time it’s put back and that sweet icky stuff (sugar!) attracts insects, which then lay eggs in the drain and multiply like crazy. A fruit fly will lay 200-500 eggs which hatch in 7-13 days and new fruit flies can lay eggs in just 24 hours.
Here’s a good article about the fruit fly life cycle https://www.thebugsquad.com/fruit-flies/fruit-fly-life-cycle/