Vending

Study finds contamination in soda fountains, water vending machines

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October 11, 2023

A California study found four in 10 beverage samples taken from soda fountains contained potentially dangerous contaminants and also raised concerns about the water sold in vending machines for refillable take-home jugs, according to a WebMD report.

Researchers took 72 samples from soda fountains, water vending machines and tap water faucets.

All samples were taken from the Eastern Coachella Valley in Southern California.

Coliform, a bacteria, was found in:
• 41% of soda fountain samples.
• 20% of water vending machine samples.
• 50% of faucet samples from retail water vending machines.
• 88% of swab samples from inside spigots from tap water faucets and water vending machines.