AVA Vending Hygiene Focus: Water Supply.

1. Potable Water: Ensure all water used is safe to drink, typically from a direct mains connection. If using alternative sources like tanks or boreholes, verify their potability before connecting vending machines. Never connect vending machines to mains lines used for firefighting.
2. Material Safety: All water-contact parts of drinks machines must be made of materials that do not contaminate the water.
3. Usage of Potable Water: Always use potable water for testing machines, washing food or water-contact parts of machines, and hand washing.
4. Ice Production: Make ice only from potable water. Regularly clean ice-making machines according to manufacturer instructions.
5. Non-Potable Water: Non-potable water or other fluids can be used in sealed eutectic plates for cooling, provided there’s no direct contact with food.

1. Site Surveys: Conduct a site survey before installing a drinks vending machine to ensure the water supply is from the mains.
2. Consult Environmental Health: If using non-mains water supplies like tanks or boreholes, seek advice from the local Environmental Health Department.
3. Avoid Dead Legs and Long Pipe Runs: Install machines to avoid dead legs, long runs of low or intermittent flow pipes, and pipes passing through high-temperature areas, as these can degrade water quality.
4. Avoid Lead Piping: Though not illegal, avoid connecting to systems with lead piping, as recommended by the AVA and BSDA, due to the low permissible limits for lead in water.
5. Water Conditioning Devices: Use devices like carbon filters, ion exchange units, and UV lights as per manufacturer instructions to maintain water quality.
6. Maintaining Bottled Water Sources: Ensure water bottles within machines are securely covered to prevent contamination, easily accessible for cleaning, and designed to keep water below 25°C.

Using these guidelines, you can keep a safe and compliant water supply for your vending and dispensing operations, safeguarding the health of consumers and maintaining high hygiene standards. Visit the AVA website to learn more , or take a look at our vending solutions.