ChatGPT image description: An epidemiologist wearing protective clothing peers into an open home refrigerator with an icemaker in the door, closely inspecting surfaces for contamination. Holding a magnifying glass and a petri dish with visible bacterial colonies, they carefully examine the fridge’s interior and stored food.

882. Ice From the Automatic Ice Maker in a Home Freezer

January 28, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from a home automatic ice maker ice.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

DALL·E image: A teenage hockey player in full gear holds up his skate and licks the icy blade. Wearing a black helmet, red jersey, and gloves, he leans in with his tongue touching the blade. The rink background is blurred, emphasizing his focused expression and the unusual act.

830. Eating Skate Ice

September 29, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating ice off of your hockey skates.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

A playful winter scene of a person licking an icicle attached to the edge of a snow-covered wooden cabin roof. Dressed in a cozy coat, gloves, and a beanie, they stand on a snowy ground, surrounded by snow-laden trees under a clear blue sky, capturing a fun, chilly moment.

723. Occasionally Eating Roof Icicles

January 22, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from occasionally eating icicles off your roof.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

DALL·E - A cocktail with a giant ice cube in a glass. The ice cube has an ominous dark black streak running through the middle of it.

627. Drinking a Cocktail Using Ice From a Core Sample From Your Birth Year

June 12, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drinking a cocktail using ice from a core sample from your birth year.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

DALL·E - a tray of ice cubes underneath a package of frozen ground beef

575. Ice Stored Under Factory Packaged Frozen Raw Ground Beef

February 12, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming ice stored under factory package frozen raw ground beef.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Note this is **not** a picture of Sam’s actual snow and ice, just Don’s first imagining of it. Listen to the episode you animals.

261. Sam's Plowed Snow and Ice

February 09, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks faced by Ben's son Sam when Sam eats plowed up snow and ice at his school.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

245. Licking an Ice Sculpture

January 03, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of licking an ice sculpture.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

From David W. Tharp, Executive Director, International Association for Food Protection: I'm not sure when this "tradition" began, but I'm fairly certain that there was an ice sculpture at my first meeting in 1993. From memory, Charlie Felix was the liaison to the Packaged Ice Association (now International Packaged Ice Association). Charlie worked from 1966 to 1985 for the Foodservice and Packaging Institute (per his LinkedIn profile). He became a publisher and consultant after 1985 and was active in IAFP through 2012.