Sipping cool sharbat in summer at one of the umpteen makeshift outlets that spring up at urban locations in the district can be tempting. But, in most cases, hygiene is given a go by.

Customers have no way of knowing if the ice cubes are sourced from manufacturing units functioning in hygienic conditions. The handling of the broken ice by the sellers is another grey area.

“Contamination of ice used in shops cannot be ruled out,” said Designated Officer for Food Safety Chitra. “A number of temporary shops have sprung up and department officials will fan out to conduct checks on the quality of ice used for making cool drinks.”

Ice is made with fresh water. But it becomes contaminated due to use of unclean water as well as unhealthy handling practices, according to nutritionists.

There is a misconception that freezing water kills bacteria or viruses. That is not the case. The Food Safety department is prepared to take action on public complaints of incidences of illnesses caused by unhealthy handling of ice, Dr. Chitra said.

Leave alone handling of ice cubes by sellers, suppliers drag the ice slabs before breaking them and filling the crushed pieces in thermocol boxes.

Last year, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued guidelines for differentiation between edible ice made with potable water and non-edible ice made with non-potable water.

In order to prevent misuse of non-edible ice as edible ice, FSSAI issued directions to Food Safety Commissioners of all States that food colour (indigo carmine or brilliant blue up to 10 ppm) must be used in production of non-edible ice.