Boil water notice issued to Christchurch cafes

Photo / Thinkstock

Christchurch Cafe owners are being told to heed the call to boil water in the city.

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's director of compliance Geoff Allen said most coffee machines only heated water to 80 - 85 degrees celsius which was not enough to kill illness-causing bugs like giardia and cryptosporidium.

He said some food businesses were surprised to learn that the boil water notice related to espresso machines, which are plumbed into the city water supply.

Customers who were worried about the quality of the water in their coffee should ask where it came from, Allen said.

"If in doubt ask for a cup of instant or plunger coffee, where you can adequately boil the water beforehand," he said.

The advice also applies to slush-ice makers, ice machines, self-service soft drink machines and some water coolers.

- NZ HERALD ONLINE