Ice-Vending Units and Ice-Manufacturing Plants

Most people don't think of ice and water as food products and assume that, in this country, at least they are automatically safe. However, outbreaks of E. coli and norovirus (Norwalk-like virus) in 1987 and 1999 were attributed to contaminated ice. Thus it is important to ensure that Louisiana's ice is clean and free of pathogens. Presently, the department regulates ice-manufacturing plants and ice-vending units under the same set of administrative rules. More information on these requirements can be found at the above link.

This page is designed to provide information and guidance to those wishing to either open an ice-manufacturing plant within the state of Louisiana or operate an ice-vending unit within the state. Ice manufacturing is regulated by the Food and Drug Unit under the auspices of Chapter 13 of Part VI of Title 51 of the Louisiana Administrative Code.

In order to receive a Permit to Operate for a new ice-manufacturing facility, the applicant must provide the department with a detailed set of plans of the proposed facility, including plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and HVAC drawings, along with a plans review questionnaire. The plans must be submitted for review by the district sanitarian where the plant will be located. Additionally, a Certifcate of Registration must be obtained to distribute bagged ice. An artwork proof of the bag must be submitted to the Program Manager for Product Registration (presently, Brian R. Warren) prior to submission of the registration packet.

In order to receive a Permit to Operate for a new ice-vending unit, the putative operator must first contact his/her district sanitarian to confirm that the make and model have been approved by the Program Manager for Ice- and Water-Vending for use in the state of Louisiana, if it does not appear on the most recent list of approved units below. If the unit has not yet been approved for use in the state, the manufacturer, distributor, or sales agent will have to submit the following information: detailed plan drawings of the electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and HVAC (if applicable) specifications of the model(s), a cleaning and sanitization schedule, a routine maintenance schedule, and post-anomaly [flood, power loss, water-pressure loss, et cetera] cleanup procedures. Once these items have been reviewed and the unit has been added to the list, the manufacturer, distributor, or sales agent will be notified by letter, and the applicant should contact the district sanitarian regarding the specific permitting of his/her installation. Note that the unit operator will also require a Certificate of Registration if the unit dispenses bagged ice. An artwork proof of the bag must be submitted to the Program Manager for Product Registration (presently, Brian R. Warren) prior to submission of the registration packet.

Note that any use of a water supply as a source for ice-vending or ice-manufacturing other than a public water system listed with the OPH Safe Drinking Water Program must be approved through Engineering Services. At this time, reviews of design summary packets for proposed wells for this purpose are being conducted by Mr. Jeremy Harris. Please contact Engineering Services at 225-342-7499 for information on where and how to submit design summary packets.

NOTE: Regarding the emergency rule dated May 7, 2009 on ice-vending units, a letter was mailed out indicating that the department will not be following up with a permanent rule. The letter, dated December 1, read as follows:

 

This correspondence is a follow-up to a previous letter regarding the Ice Vending Emergency Rule promulgated by the Department of Health dated May 7, 2009. The emergency rule required operators of ice-vending units (as defined therein) to affix placards to their units and add language to the bags dispensed by the units advising the consumer that the products were not to be resold. This emergency rule expired on September 4, 2009.

After considering the issues which raised the need for the emergency rule, the Department of Health and Hospitals has made the determination to not make permanent the provisions of the emergency rule. Therefore, the requirements set forth in the emergency rule no longer apply to operators of ice-vending units within the state of Louisiana.

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