The objective of the focus action was to check milkshakes and soft ice cream for possible contamination by quaternary ammonium compounds (QAV) and microorganisms. Contamination with QAV can result from improper cleaning of the machines needed to produce the food. Therefore, milkshakes and soft ice cream from the catering industry, which were prepared by means of apparatus (shakers), were specifically investigated.

103 samples from all over Austria were examined. 39 samples (13 samples of soft ice cream and 26 samples of milkshakes) were rejected:

• six samples (exclusively milkshakes) were judged to be harmful to health, due to the high residue content of QAV detected
• two samples were judged unsuitable for human consumption and therefore unsafe. This affected one sample of soft ice cream, due to microbiological contamination (Enterobacteriaceae) and one sample of milkshake, due to the detected residue level of QAV.
• eight samples (seven samples of milkshakes and one sample of soft ice cream) were assessed as impaired due to microbiological contamination (Enterobacteriaceae)
• 27 samples were rejected due to the exceeded residue content of QAV.